UNIVERSITY   OF   CALIFORNIA 

COLLEGE   OF   AGRICULTURE 

AGRICULTURAL    EXPERIMENT   STATION 

BERKELEY,    CALIFORNIA 


SERIES  ON  CALIFORNIA  CROPS  AND  PRICES 

LEMONS 


H.  R.  WELLMAN  AND  E.  W.  BRAUN 


BULLETIN  460 

October,  1928 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  PRINTING  OFFICE 

BERKELEY,  CALIFORNIA 

1928 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Summary 3 

Lemon  Acreage  in  California 6 

The  place  of  California  in  the  lemon  industry 6 

Trend  of  bearing  acreage  since  1914 6 

Location  of  bearing  acreage  in  1928 7 

Changes  in  bearing  acreage  in  principal  producing  counties  since  1921 8 

Location  of  non-bearing  acreage  in  1928 8 

Shipments  and  Production 9 

Trend  of  shipments 9 

Trend  of  production 10 

Seasonal  movement  of  lemon  shipments 11 

Important  Lemon  Markets  in  the  United  States 15 

Consumption  of  Lemons 17 

Prices 19 

Wide  fluctuations  in  prices 19 

Effect  of  supply  upon  price 19 

Effect  of  temperatures  upon  price 22 

Effect  of  amount  of  sickness  upon  price 24 

Seasonal  variation  in  lemon  prices 25 

Estimated  farm  price  of  lemons 26 

United  States  Foreign  Trade  in  Lemons 27 

Imports 27 

Exports 29 

Foreign  Lemon-Producing  Countries 30 

Italy 30 

Spain 32 

Australia 32 

Acknowledgment 32 

Appendix  of  Tables 33 


LEMONS 

H.  K.  WELLMANi  and  E.  W.  BRAUN- 


SUMMARY 

The  lemon  industry  of  the  United  States  is  practically  confined  to 
California.  In  this  state  there  has  been  a  pronounced  upward  trend 
in  production  during  the  past  two  decades.  The  average  production 
in  1908  as  measured  by  the  line  of  trend  amounted  to  1,800,000  boxes; 
by  1927  it  had  risen  to  6,500,000  boxes,  an  increase  of  260  per  cent. 
During  the  first  part  of  this  twenty-year  period  the  increase  in  pro- 
duction was  about  offset  by  a  decrease  in  imports,  so  that  the  total 
supply  of  lemons  available  for  consumption  was  not  materially  larger. 
But  during  recent  years  imports  have  declined  only  slightly,  while 
domestic  production  has  increased  as  rapidly  as  before.  Although 
exports  have  also  increased  they  have  provided  an  outlet  for  only  a 
small  part  of  the  increase  in  domestic  production.  Consequently  there 
has  been  a  very  substantial  increase  in  the  total  supply  of  lemons 
available  for  consumption  in  this  country. 

The  demand  for  lemons  has  not  kept  pace  with  the  rapid  increase 
in  the  supply.  The  per-capita  consumption  of  lemons  during  the  past 
seven  years  has  averaged  only  2.6  lemons,  or  19  per  cent,  higher  than 
before  the  war.  Probably  the  greatest  part  of  this  small  increase  in 
per-capita  consumption  has  been  the  result  of  improvement  in  the 
quality  and  pack,  wider  distribution,  extensive  advertising,  and  the 
recommendation  by  nutrition  experts  of  the  wider  use  of  lemons  in 
the  diet.  The  relatively  low  prices  of  lemons  as  compared  with  the 
prices  of  commodities  in  general  have  had  but  a  minor  effect  in 
increasing  consumption.  This  is  because  the  demand  for  lemons 
tends  to  be  inelastic.  People  do  not  buy  many  more  lemons  when 
prices  are  low,  nor  do  they  greatly  reduce  their  purchases  when 
prices  are  high.  Consequently  a  relatively  small  shortage  in  the 
supply  causes  prices  to  rise  rapidly,  while  a  relatively  small  surplus 
causes  them  to  drop  rapidly. 

Because  of  the  large  increase  in  California  production  there  has 
been  a  surplus  during  recent  years  whenever  the  crop  has  been 
average  or  above.     This  situation  has  resulted  in  unprofitably  low 

1  Extension  Specialist  in  Agricultural  Economics. 

2  Extension  Specialist  in  Agricultural  Economics. 


4  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

prices  to  growers,  and  would  have  resulted  in  still  lower  prices  had 
all  of  the  lemons  been  shipped  that  were  produced.  Not  only  would 
the  price  per  box  have  been  very  much  lower,  but  the  total  return  to 
the  growers  would  also  have  been  materially  reduced.  The  experience 
during  the  past  twenty  years  has  been  that  a  small  crop  brings  a 
larger  total  return  than  a  large  crop,  other  things  such  as  imports  and 
temperatures  being  equal.  This  is  the  chief  justification  for  limitation 
of  shipments. 

Although  lemons  are  shipped  every  month  in  the  year,  the  heaviest 
supplies  reach  the  consuming  markets  during  the  summer  months. 
This  is  also  the  period  of  greatest  demand.  People  not  only  consume 
three  times  as  many  lemons  in  the  summer  as  they  do  in  the  winter 
but  on  the  average  they  pay  more  for  them  as  well.  The  chief  factor 
affecting  the  demand  for  lemons  in  the  summer  is  temperature.  Hot 
weather  stimulates  the  demand,  cool  weather  retards  it. 

Temperatures,  however,  change  rapidly,  and  up  to  the  present 
time  it  has  seldom  been  possible  to  forecast  the  temperature  departures 
from  the  normal  very  far  in  advance.  It  has  been  extremely  difficult, 
therefore  to  so  adjust  the  shipments  of  lemons  from  this  state  as  to 
have  a  large  supply  in  the  markets  as  far  as  3,000  miles  away  when 
the  weather  was  unusually  hot  and  to  have  only  a  small  supply  there 
when  the  weather  was  unusually  cool.  This  is  the  chief  reason  why 
prices  have  fluctuated  so  violently  during  the  summer  months,  and  it 
is  also  the  reason  why  the  price  fluctuations  have  seldom  been  the  same 
two  years  in  succession. 

While  it  is  almost  impossible  to  determine  just  when  prices  will  be 
high  or  low  during  a  given  year,  it  is  true  that  over  a  period  of  years 
prices  are  higher  on  the  average  in  the  summer  than  in  the  winter. 
Those  sections  of  the  state,  therefore,  that  have  been  able  to  ship  a 
relatively  large  part  of  their  lemons  during  the  summer  months 
without  undue  loss  from  deterioration  in  storage  have  received  higher 
returns  on  the  average.  In  some  instances  this  price  advantage  has 
meant  the  difference  between  a  profitable  and  an  unprofitable  lemon 
district. 

The  available  information  indicates  that  lemon  production  in 
California  is  now  at  about  the  peak.  While  there  may  be  a  further 
increase  in  the  average  yield  per  acre  due  to  the  increased  age  of  the 
trees,  it  is  not  likely  to  be  large,  and  it  will  probably  be  largely  offset 
by  a  decrease  in  the  bearing  acreage.  Since  1925  the  trend  of  bearing 
acreage  has  been  downward  and  this  downward  trend  is  likely  to 
continue.     The  present  non-bearing  acreage  of  lemons  in  the  state  is 


Bul.  460]  LEMONS  5 

not  sufficient  to  replace  the  bearing  acreage  that  will  normally  be 
taken  out.  If  plantings  are  no  heavier  during  the  coming  years  than 
they  have  been  in  recent  years  the  normal  decrease  in  bearing  acreage 
will  gradually  correct  the  present  situation  of  over-production.  Such 
a  remedy,  however,  must  necessarily  be  slow.  And  in  the  meantime 
growers  are  faced  with  the  ever  present  possibility  of  producing  more 
lemons  than  can  be  sold  at  profitable  prices. 

To  remedy  this  situation  it  is  evident  that  demand  must  be 
increased  or  supply  reduced.  Both  offer  possibilities.  Some  increase 
in  demand  can  probably  be  effected,  but  unless  some  unusual  develop- 
ments occur  it  will  be  slow,  judging  from  the  experience  of  the  past 
twenty  years.  On  the  other  hand  the  supply  of  lemons  available  for 
consumption  can  be  immediately  reduced  through  limitation  of 
domestic  shipments.  This  has  already  been  successfully  demonstrated. 
If  limitation  of  shipments  is  extended  to  include  the  entire  industry 
in  the  state  it  will  be  of  great  value  in  the  temporary  solution  of  the 
problem.  It  should  be  recognized,  however,  that  limitation  of  ship- 
ments is  a  temporary  and  not  a  permanent  solution  of  over-supply. 
The  permanent  solution  requires  a  decrease  in  imports  or  a  reduction 
in  acreage. 

A  decrease  in  imports  at  this  time  would  be  of  considerable  benefit 
to  the  California  lemon  industry  in  that  it  would  enable  the  growers 
to  market  a  large  proportion  of  their  merchantable  fruit  which  is  now 
converted  to  by-products  or  dumped.  A  decrease  in  imports  taken  by 
itself  would  not  necessarily  mean  that  growers  would  receive  a  higher 
price  per  box  for  those  shipped,  but  it  would  enable  them  to  ship  more 
boxes  at  the  same  price  as  they  are  now  receiving,  which  would  add 
materially  to  their  total  returns. 

An  immediate  reduction  in  the  lemon  acreage  in  the  state  would 
be  helpful.  There  are  unquestionably  many  lemon  trees  on  marginal 
land,  trees  that  will  continue  to  bear  for  years  and  thus  add  to  the 
total  supply  of  lemons,  but  will  probably  never  return  the  owners  a 
profit  except  in  seasons  of  unusually  high  prices.  The  sooner  these 
trees  are  taken  out  the  better  it  will  be  for  both  the  owners  and  the 
industry. 

Any  material  expansion  in  the  lemon  industry  of  the  state  should 
be  discouraged.  If  any  new  plantings  are  made  they  should  be  only 
in  localities  having  the  most  favorable  climatic  and  soil  conditions. 
Although  returns  may  be  raised  through  an  increase  in  the  demand 
or  a  decrease  in  the  supply,  individual  growers  cannot  escape  the  fact 
that  their  best  outlook  for  the  future  lies  in  more  efficient  production, 
including  both  improvement  in  quality  and  reduction  in  cost. 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


LEMON    ACREAGE    IN    CALIFORNIA 

The  Place  of  California  in  the  Lemon  Industry. — Practically  all  of 
the  United  States  acreage  of  lemons  is  in  California.  According  to 
the  1925  Census  of  Agriculture  of  the  United  States  95  per  cent  of 
the  total  lemon  trees  in  this  country  in  1925  were  in  this  state. 
Lemon  trees  were  reported  in  twelve  states  other  than  California,  but 
the  acreage  in  these  states  was  so  small  as  to  be  negligible  from  a 


Bearing  Acreage  of  Lemons  in  California,  1914-1928 


400 


300 


o    200 


100 


Fig.  1. — The  bearing  acreage  of  lemons  in  California  increased  very  rapidly 
between  1917  and  1921;  since  1921  it  has  remained  practically  stationary. 
(Data  from  California  Cooperative  Crop  Reporting  Service.) 

commercial  standpoint.  California  has,  therefore,  a  virtual  monopoly 
in  the  production  of  lemons  as  far  as  the  United  States  is  concerned. 
Certain  foreign  countries,  however,  produce  large  quantities  which 
compete  directly  with  our  lemons  in  the  markets  of  the  United  States. 
Trend  of  Bearing  Acreage  since  1914. — Estimates  of  bearing 
acreage  of  lemons  in  California  are  available  for  each  year  since  1914. 
These  data  are  shown  graphically  in  figure  1.  It  will  be  noted  that 
the  greatest  expansion  in  the  lemon  industry  during  the  past  fifteen 
years   occurred   between   1917   and   1921.     During   that   period   the 


Bul.  460" 


LEMONS 


bearing  acreage  was  increased  by  19,600  acres,  or  86  per  cent.  From 
1921  to  1925  there  was  a  gradual  increase  but  it  was  very  small, 
amounting  to  only  2,000  acres.  The  peak  was  reached  in  1925.  At 
that  time  there  were  approximately  44,300  acres  in  bearing.  Since 
1925  there  has  been  a  small  but  steady  decline,  totaling  about  1,400 
acres. 

It  is  expected  that  this  downward  trend  will  continue  during  the 
next  few  years.  The  present  non-bearing  acreage  in  the  state,  includ- 
ing 1927  plantings,  amounts  to  only  2,667  acres,  which  is  probably  not 
sufficient  to  replace  the  acreage  that  will  normally  be  taken  out.    The 

Percentage  of  California's  Bearing  Lemon  Acreage  in  Main  Lemon- 
Producing  Counties,  1928 


Fig.  2. — Approximately  90  per  cent  of  the  total  bearing  acreage  of  lemons 
in  the  state  is  in  six  counties  in  southern  California. 
(Data  from  table  9.) 


average  commercial  life  of  a  lemon  tree  is  about  thirty-five  years.3 
With  a  lemon  tree  coming  into  bearing  at  about  five  years  of  age,  it 
is,  therefore,  necessary  to  have  at  least  15  trees  of  non-bearing  age 
to  maintain  100  trees  in  bearing.  Consequently,  if  our  present  bearing 
acreage  of  approximately  42,900  acres  is  to  be  maintained,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  about  6,400  acres  of  non-bearing  trees.  But  since  there 
are  only  2,667  acres,  it  is  evident  that  the  bearing  acreage  will  decline, 
and  that  the  decline  during  the  next  five  years  will  probably  be 
between  2,500  and  3,000  acres. 

Location  of  Bearing  Acreage  in  1928. — The  relative  importance  of 
the  main  lemon-producing  counties  in  1928  from  the  standpoint  of 
bearing  acreage  is  shown  in  figure  2.     Los  Angeles  is  the  leading 

s  Some  trees,  of  course,  bear  much  longer,  while  others  will  not  bear  as  long, 
depending  largely  upon  the  rootstock  and  cultural  practices. 


8  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

lemon-producing  county  at  the  present  time,  followed  by  Orange, 
Ventura,  San  Bernardino,  San  Diego,  and  Riverside  in  the  order 
named.  These  six  counties,  located  in  southern  California,  contain 
approximately  87  per  cent  of  the  total  bearing  acreage  in  the  state, 
while  Los  Angeles  County  alone  contains  27  per  cent.  With  Santa 
Barbara  County  included  in  the  southern  group  of  counties  it  is  found 
that  91  per  cent  of  the  total  bearing  acreage  of  lemons  in  the  state  is 
in  southern  California.  Tulare  County,  with  2,688  acres  in  bearing, 
is  the  only  important  lemon-producing  county  in  central  California, 
and  Colusa  County,  with  720  acres,  is  the  only  important  one  in 
northern  California, 

Absolute  Increase  or  Decrease  iist  Bearing  Acreage  of  Lemons  in  Main 
Lemon-Producing  Counties  from  1921  to  1928 


County 
San  Bernardino 

Acres 
605 

Santa  Barbara 

590 

Ventura 

286 

San  Diego 

282 

Los  Angeles 

168 

Colusa 

167 

Tulare 

114 

Orange 

-549 

Riverside 

-1,128 

I nor ease 
250  600 


750 


Fig.  3. — The  large  decreases  in  the  bearing  acreage  of  lemons  in  Eiverside 
and  Orange  counties  during  recent  years  have  offset  a  considerable  part  of  the 
increases  in  the  other  important  producing  counties. 

(Data  from  table  9.) 


Changes  in  Bearing  Acreage  in  Principal  Producing  Counties  since 
1921. — Figure  3  shows  the  absolute  change  in  the  bearing  acreage  of 
the  nine  most  important  lemon-producing  counties  between  1921  and 
1928.  It  will  be  noted  that  seven  of  the  nine  counties  experienced  an 
increase,  two  a  decrease.  The  largest  increase  was  in  San  Bernardino 
County,  followed  closely  by  Santa  Barbara  County.  The  combined 
increase  in  these  two  counties  amounted  to  1,193  acres,  which  is  more 
tli an  the  total  increase  in  all  of  the  other  counties.  Riverside  and 
Orange  counties  experienced  a  decrease  of  1,128  and  549  acres,  respec- 
tively, the  largest  part  of  which  occurred  in  the  past  two  years. 

Location  of  Non-hearing  Acreage  in  1928. — The  location  of  the 
recent  plantings  of  lemons  is  shown  in  figure  4.  Of  the  2,216  acres  not 
in  bearing  in  1928,  exclusive  of  1927  plantings,  35.4  per  cent  were  in 


Bul.460]  LEMONS  9 

Ventura  County,  26.9  per  cent  in  Orange  County,  and  20  per  cent  in 
San  Diego  County.  It  is  evident  from  these  figures  that  the  bulk  of 
the  recent  plantings  has  been  in  the  coast  district  of  southern  Cali- 
fornia. There  have  apparently  been  no  plantings  in  recent  years  in 
the  interior  district  of  southern  California  or  in  the  San  Joaquin  and 
Sacramento  valleys. 

Percentage  of  California's  Non-Bearing  Lemon  Agreage  in  Main 
Lemon-Producing  Counties,  1928 


Others 
Total 

Fig.   4. — Most   of  the   recent  plantings   of   lemons   have   been   made   in   the 
coast  counties  of  southern  California. 
(Data  from  table  9.) 


SHIPMENTS    AND    PRODUCTION 

Trend  of  Shipments. — California  lemon  shipments  during  the  past 
twenty  years  are  shown  by  the  heavy  solid  line  in  figure  5.  Significant 
changes  in  the  trend  of  shipments  occurred  during  this  period.  The 
increase  in  shipments  during  the  first  and  last  parts  of  the  period  was 
small  as  compared  with  that  during  the  middle  part.  In  1908  the 
average  shipments  as  determined  by  the  line  of  trend  amounted  to 
approximately  1,700,000  boxes;  by  1914  they  amounted  to  2,200,000 
boxes,  an  increase  of  29  per  cent.  Then  occurred  a  period  of  very 
rapid  expansion.  During  the  seven  years  from  1914  to  1921,  ship- 
ments increased  2,200,000  boxes,  or  100  per  cent.  Since  1921  the 
increase  has  been  much  slower.  In  1927  the  average  amounted  to 
5,000,000  boxes,  which  was  only  600,000  boxes,  or  14  per  cent,  larger 
than  in  1921. 

The  much  smaller  rise  in  the  trend  of  shipments  during  recent 
years  was  largely  caused  by  limitation  of  shipments  and  not  by  a 
slower  increase  in  production.  Production  has  increased  about  as 
rapidly  as  before,  as  is  shown  by  the  broken  line  in  figure  5.  Before 
1919  shipments  of  lemons  from  California  were  fairly  representative 


10 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


of  the  production  of  merchantable  fruit,  exclusive  of  the  amount 
consumed  within  the  state.  Some  lemons  were  occasionally  dumped 
and  a  limited  amount  was  sent  to  by-product  plants,  but  the  volume 
disposed  of  in  these  ways  was  seldom  more  than  a  small  percentage  of 
the  crop.  Since  1919,  however,  and  more  particularly  during  the  past 
few  years,  a  considerable  part  of  the  production  has  not  been  shipped. 


California  Lemon  Shipments,  1908-1927,  and  Estimated  Production,  1916-1927 


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Fig.  5. — The  rapid  increase  in  lemon  production  in  California  during  recent 
years  has  made  it  necessary  to  limit  shipments  in  order  to  prevent  prices  from 
falling  disastrously  low. 

(Data  from  table  13.) 


Trend  of  Production. — The  pronounced  upward  trend  in  produc- 
tion during  recent  years  was  largely  caused  by  an  increase  in  the 
average  age  of  the  trees  rather  than  by  increased  plantings.  By 
referring  to  figure  1,  page  6,  it  will  be  seen  that  since  1921  only  a 
small  increase  in  bearing  acreage  has  occurred.  Lemon  trees  are 
usually  listed  as  bearing  at  about  five  years  of  age.  They  increase  in 
production  very  rapidly,  however,  from  the  time  they  come  into  bear- 
ing up  to  twelve  or  fifteen  years  of  age.  After  that  they  continue  to 
increase  for  several  years,  but  much  more  slowly  than  before.  Without 
data  on  the  age  distribution  of  the  trees  in  the  state  it  is  impossible  to 
determine  just  when  the  peak  in  production  will  be  reached.     Indi- 


Bul.  460] 


LEMONS 


11 


cations  are,  however,  that  it  is  now  at  about  the  peak.  While  there 
may  be  a  further  increase  in  the  average  yield  per  tree  because  of 
increased  age,  it  is  not  likely  to  be  large,  and  it  will  probably  be 
largely  offset  by  the  decrease  in  the  number  of  trees  in  bearing. 

The  present  lemon  production,  however,  is  in  excess  of  demand. 
In  recent  years  when  the  crop  has  been  average  or  above,  California 
has  produced  more  lemons  than  could  be  sold  at  prices  which  would 

Percentage  of  Total  Carlot  Shipments  of  California  Lemons  Shipped  by 
Months,  Average  1920-21  to  1926-27 ;  Annual  1925-26  and  1926-27 


Average      ° 
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^"x*' 

325-26 

I92€ 

—  » 

-21-**+ 

v 

1920- 

ERAGE 
-21  TO  19 

26-27 

> 

• 

"Z^ 

"•*•, 

/ 

s* 

t^-'' 

Fig.  6. — The  bulk  of  the  California  lemon  crop  is  shipped  during  the  spring 
and  summer  months. 
(Data  from  table  11.) 


return  a  profit  to  growers.  Consequently,  it  has  been  necessary  to  ship 
only  a  part  of  the  crop  and  send  the  remainder  to  by-product  plants 
or  dump  it. 

Seasonal  Movement  of  Lemon  Shipments. — California  lemons  are 
shipped  every  month  in  the  year.  The  heaviest  shipments,  however, 
occur  during  the  spring  and  summer  months  with  the  peak  shipments 
in  May  and  June.  The  solid  line  in  figure  6  shows  the  average  per- 
centage of  the  crop  shipped  each  month  for  the  past  seven  years.  It 
will  be  noted  that  there  is  usually  a  gradual,  although  somewhat 
irregular  increase  in  shipments  from  the  beginning  of  the  crop  year  in 
November  through  April,  followed  by  a  substantial  increase  in  May. 


12 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


June  shipments  are  usually  slightly  larger  than  those  in  May.  After 
June,  shipments  decline  rapidly  reaching  a  low  point  in  September 
or  October. 

During  the  past  seven  years  approximately  69  per  cent  of  the 
lemon  crop  has  been  shipped  during  the  six  months  of  March  to 
August,  and  32  per  cent  during  the  two  months  of  May  and  June.  In 
the  fall  and  winter  months  lemon  shipments  are  relatively  small.  On 
the  average  only  31  per  cent  of  the  crop  has  moved  to  market  during 
the  six  months  of  September  to  February. 

The  percentage  of  the  total  crop  shipped  each  month  varies,  of 
course,  from  year  to  year,  as  is  illustrated  by  the  broken  lines  in 
figure  6.  In  1926-27,  for  example,  shipments  during  the  first  part 
of  the  season  were  unusually  heavy  while  in  1925-26  they  were 
unusually  light. 

TABLE  1 

Percentage  of  Total  Carlot  Shipments  of  Lemons  Shipped  Each  Month  by 

Principal  Producing  Districts  and  Counties  in  California, 

Average  1920-21  to  1926-27 


District  or  county 


Northern  district 
Central  district*. 

Riverside 

San  Bernardino 

Los  Angeles 

San  Diego 

Orange 

Santa  Barbara- 
Ventura 

State 


Nov. 


per 
cent 
15.9 
12.0 
3.8 
5.3 
4.8 
2.2 
2.9 
6.1 
3.0 
4.0 


Dec. 


per 
cent 
21.9 
21.1 
3.5 
6.6 
5.9 
2.6 
3.4 
4.6 
3.1 
4.6 


Jan. 


per 
cent 
17.3 
29.1 
7.1 
8.6 
6.8 
4.8 
4.4 
5.7 
3.9 
6.2 


Feb. 


per 
cent 
11.7 
11.5 
7.6 
6.8 
6.0 
5.2 
5.5 
5.8 
3.9 
5.8 


Mar. 


per 
cent 
7.5 
11.4 
11.2 
7.9 
8.2 
9.4 
8.8 
7.0 
6.7 
8.4 


Apr. 


cent 
8.8 
5.5 

10.9 
7.3 
9.4 

12.5 

11.2 
7.2 
8.7 
9.6 


May 


per 
cent 

5.0 

2.6 
18.9 
15.2 
15.0 
18.0 
16.8 

9.7 
14.3 
15.3 


June 


per 
cent 
1.0 
1.1 
18.6 
17.2 
15.7 
18.0 
17.4 
13.5 
15.8 
16.3 


July 


per 
cent 


9.4 
10.8 
12.7 
13.2 
11.9 
13.8 
11.6 


Aug. 


per 
cent 


3.1 

4.9 
6.4 
7.3 
8.9 
9.5 
11.9 
7.6 


Sept, 


per 
cent 


2.8 
4.3 
5.2 
4.1 
3.9 
10.2 
8.7 
5.4 


Oct. 


per 
cent 
10.9 
5.7 
3.7 
6.5 
5.8 
3.2 
3.6 
8.8 
6.2 
5.2 


Total 


per 

cent 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 

100.0 


*  Five-year  average,  1922-23  to  1926-27. 

Sources  of  data:  Compiled  from  U.  S.  Bur.  Agr.  Econ.  Unpublished  data  (revised) ,  except  for  10  months 
of  January  to  October,  1927,  which  were  compiled  from:  Yoeman,  Opal  V.  Summary  of  carlot  shipments 
of  important  fruits  and  vegetables  in  California,  Arizona,  and  Nevada,  1927.  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Bur.  Agr. 
Econ.  mimeographed  circular,  1928.  ^    ^ 


The  seasonal  movement  of  lemon  shipments  differs  considerably  in 
the  several  lemon-producing  sections  of  the  state.  The  average  per- 
centage of  the  crop  shipped  each  month  from  the  principal  districts 
and  counties  is  given  in  table  1.  The  shipping  season  in  the  northern 
and  central  districts  begins  in  October.  In  the  northern  district  the 
peak  shipments  usually  come  in  December  and  in  the  central  district 
in  January.  By  the  end  of  March,  approximately  85  per  cent  of  the 
crop  in  the  northern  district  and  90  per  cent  of  the  crop  in  the  central 
district  have  been  shipped.  These  two  districts  ship  practically  no 
lemons  during  the  summer  months. 


Bul.  460] 


LEMONS 


13 


In  southern  California  each  of  the  main  lemon-producing  counties 
ship  lemons  every  month  in  the  year.  There  is  some  difference,  how- 
ever, in  the  percentage  of  the  crop  shipped  each  month.  In  Riverside 
County  44  per  cent  of  the  crop  is  normally  shipped  by  the  end  of 
April ;  in  San  Bernardino  County,  43  per  cent ;  in  Los  Angeles  County, 
41  per  cent ;  in  San  Diego  County,  37  per  cent ;  in  Orange  and  Santa 
Barbara  counties,  36  per  cent ;  and  in  Ventura  County,  29  per  cent. 

Percentage  of  Total,  Carlot  Shipments  of  Lemons  Shipped  Each  Month 
from  Riverside  and  Ventura  Counties,  Average  1920-21  to  1926-27 


Riverside 
Ventura 


CO 

• 

to 

to 

• 

ft 
1> 

• 

o 

• 

to 

20 


15 


°10 


to 

CO 

• 

e- 
eo 

CO 

CM 

RIV 

ER5IDE 

V 

»*-., 

i 
\ 

/ 

/  > 

\ 

^y-VENTURA 

4 

•— —« 

/  / 

\ 

\ 

• 
• 

/ 
/ 

\ 

\ 
\ 

mmmmm 

/ 

\ 
1 

,--- 

s 


K 


I 


I 


8 


Fig.  7. — Riverside  County  is  an  early,  and  "Ventura  County  is  a  late  lemon- 
shipping  section. 

(Data  from  table  1.) 


Because  of  these  differences  in  the  seasonal  movement  of  lemon  ship- 
ments among  the  several  counties  the  total  shipments  from  the  state 
as  a  whole  are  more  evenly  distributed  throughout  the  year. 

Figure  7  was  prepared  to  illustrate  more  clearly  the  differences  in 
seasonal  movement  of  lemon  shipments  between  the  earliest  and  the 
latest  lemon-shipping  counties  in  southern  California.  It  will  be  noted 
that  during  the  eight  months  from  November  to  June,  Riverside 
County  ships  a  larger  proportion  of  the  crop  than  Ventura  County, 
and  that  during  the  four  months  from  July  to  October,  the  opposite 
situation  prevails. 


14 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


The  later  shipping  season  in  Ventura  County  is  largely  accounted 
for  by  two  conditions:  the  lemons  are  picked  later  and  are  stored 
longer.  The  average  percentage  of  the  crop  picked  each  month  by  a 
typical  lemon  association  in  each  of  the  two  counties  is  shown  in 
table  2.  Pickings  are  relatively  heavier  in  Riverside  County  than 
in  Ventura  County  during  each  of  the  four  months  from  November 
to  February  and  are  approximately  as  heavy  during  the  two  months 
of  March  and  April.     The  peak  picking  period  in  Riverside  County 

TABLE  2 

Percentage  of  the  Total  Lemon  Crop  Picked  Each  Month  by  Typical 

Lemon  Associations  in  Riverside  and  Ventura  Counties, 

Average  1921-22  to  1926-27 


Month 


November... 
December- 
January 

February 

March 

April 

May 

June 

July 

August 

September. 
October 


Association^  Riverside 
County 


Per  cent 


8.5 
6.7 


Cumulative 
per  cent 


8.5 
15.2 
24.3 
33.2 
45.8 
59.8 
70.9 
77.2 
80.5 
83.6 
90.7 
100.0 


Association  in  Ventura 
County 


Per  cent 


3.8 
3.9 
5.5 
6.0 
12.9 
14.6 
18.6 
14.1 
7.1 
4.6 
4.1 
4.8 


Cumulative 
per  cent 


3.8 
7.7 
13.2 
19.2 
32.1 
46.7 
65.3 
79.4 
86.5 
91.1 
95.2 
100.0 


Source  of  data:  Compiled  from  records  of  two  lemon  associations,  one  in  Riverside  County  and  one 
in  Ventura  County. 

comes  in  April ;  in  Ventura.  County  it  comes  in  May.  By  the  end  of 
April  60  per  cent  of  the  lemons  in  Riverside  County,  but  only  47  per 
cent  of  those  in  Ventura  County,  have  been  picked. 

The  chief  reasons  why  lemons  are  picked  early  in  Riverside  County 
are  that  the  crop  matures  early  and  a  larger  proportion  of  tree-ripe 
fruit  is  produced.  The  usual  practice  is  to  pick  lemons  according  to 
size.  Sizes  300  and  360  generally  bring  the  highest  prices.  When 
possible,  therefore,  lemons  are  left  on  the  trees  until  they  reach  the 
desired  size.  This  cannot  always  be  done,  however.  Sometimes  they 
begin  to  turn  yellow  before  they  are  fully  sized.  Then  it  is  necessary 
to  pick  them  relatively  soon  because  tree-ripe  lemons  deteriorate  in 
quality  if  left  on  the  tree  too  long  and  do  not  make  a  growth  sufficient 
to  offset  the  reduction  in  quality. 

The  second  reason  for  the  later  shipping  season  in  Ventura.  County 
is  that  the  lemons  are  stored  longer.    This  is  clearly  seen  from  a  com- 


BUL.  460]  LEMONS  15 

parison  of  the  average  percentage  of  the  crop  picked  and  shipped  in 
the  two  counties.  By  the  end  of  May,  71  per  cent  of  the  crop  in 
Riverside  County  has  been  picked  and  63  per  cent  has  been  shipped ; 
while  in  Ventura  County  65  per  cent  has  been  picked,  but  only  44  per 
cent  has  been  shipped.  In  other  words,  Riverside  County  has  picked 
6  per  cent  more  of  her  crop  than  Ventura  County  and  has  shipped 
19  per  cent  more.  The  chief  reason  why  lemons  are  not  held  as  long 
in  storage  on  the  average  in  Riverside  County  as  in  Ventura  County 
is  that  a  larger  proportion  of  tree-ripe  fruit  is  produced  in  the  former 
county. 


IMPORTANT   LEMON    MARKETS    IN   THE    UNITED    STATES 

The  location  and  relative  importance  of  the  principal  markets  for 
lemons  in  the  United  States  are  shown  in  figure  8.  The  majority  of 
the  markets  are  located  in  the  midwestern  and  eastern  states.  New 
York  City,  Chicago,  Philadelphia,  and  Boston  are  the  largest  lemon- 
consuming  markets.  During  the  four  years  of  1924  to  1927  over  one- 
half  of  the  total  carlot  shipments  were  unloaded  in  these  four  markets 
and  almost  one-third  of  the  total  were  unloaded  in  New  York  City 
alone. 

The  black  portion  of  the  circles  in  figure  8  represents  the  unloads 
from  California,  and  the  shaded  portion  the  imports.  It  will  be  noted 
that  California  lemons  meet  with  intense  competition  from  foreign 
lemons  in  several  of  the  markets  on  the  north  Atlantic  Coast.  Over 
60  per  cent  of  the  total  lemon  unloads  in  New  York  City,  for  example, 
are  imported.  On  the  average  this  one  market  takes  approximately 
80  per  cent  of  the  total  foreign  lemons  that  enter  the  United  States. 
Nearly  three-fourths  of  the  remaining  20  per  cent  of  the  imports  are 
unloaded  in  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  and  Washington.  Outside  of 
the  area  in  which  these  three  markets  and  New  York  City  are  located, 
California  lemons  meet  with  practically  no  competition. 

Figure  8  also  gives  some  indication  of  the  wide  distribution  of 
California  lemons.  The  total  unloads  from  California  in  the  thirty-two 
cities  shown  in  figure  8  amounted  to  approximately  8,000  cars,  which 
was  60  per  cent  of  the  total  carlot  shipments  from  the  state.  Most  of 
the  remaining  40  per  cent  of  the  shipments  were  sent  to  other  markets 
in  the  United  States.  These  figures  together  with  the  reports  of  the 
California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange  on  carlot  sales  of  lemons  indi- 
cate that  lemons  are  now  available  in  practically  every  market  of 
importance  in  the  country. 


16 


UNIVERSITY   OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


Bul.  460] 


LEMONS 


17 


TABLE  3 

Carlot  Unloads  of  Lemons  in  Thirty-two  Cities  of  the  United  States, 
Average  1924-1927  and  1927 


City 

Origin  of  unloads 

City 
No. 

Average  1924-27 

1927 

Cali- 
fornia 

Im- 
ports 

Un- 
known 

Total 

Cali- 
fornia 

Im- 
ports 

Others 

Total 

j 

169 
261 
128 
541 
163 
881 
328 
343 
116 
130 
122 
341 

69 
140 
232 
113 
179 
121 
237 
143 
1,330 
107 
530 
306 
111 
413 

67 

76 
115 

51 
114 

27 

6 
115 

4 
19 
2 
12 
3 
7 
2 

175 

376 
137 
567 
166 
893 
331 
351 
123 
130 
122 
353 

69 
150 
232 
132 
190 
122 
237 
150 
3,460 
107 
700 
317 
112 
415 

67 

76 
116 

51 
116 

66 

213 
291 
133 
541 
126 
898 
334 
339 
109 
125 
122 
345 

78 
130 
205 
142 
165 
109 
171 
253 
1,439 

97 
526 
370 
111 
406 

58 

68 
189 

44 
103 

23 

1 

49 
4 

17 
3 

16 

214 

2 

340 

3 

5 

7 
1 

137 

4 

11 

569 

5 

Buffalo 

129 

6 

914 

7 

334 

8 

Cleveland 

1 
5 

5 
4 

1 

1 

345 

9 

Columbus 

114 

10 

Dallas  . 

125 

11 

122 

12 

12 

19 

364 

13 

Ft.  Worth 

78 

14 

8 

2 

7 

137 

15 

205 

16 

9 

8 

10 
3 

1 

1 
19 

2 

145 

17 

184 

18 

109 

19 

171 

20 

7 
2,130 

29 
1,809 

282 

21 

3,248 

22 

97 

23 

170 
11 

1 
2 

136 
6 

662 

24 

376 

25 

Portland,  Ore. 

111 

26 

406 

27 

St.  Paul .... 

58 

28 

Salt  Lake  City 

68 

29 

1 

189 

30 

44 

31 

Toledo 

38 

1 
1 

2 
3 

1 

106 

32 

46 

Total 

8,004 

2,568 

37 

10,609 

8,720 

2,150 

16 

10,429 

Source  of  data:  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Bur.  Agr.  Econ.,  Mimeo.  Reports. 


CONSUMPTION    OF    LEMONS 

The  average  consumption  of  lemons  in  the  United  States  during 
the  past  seven  years  has  amounted  to  5,500,000  boxes  annually.  This 
is  equivalent  to  16  lemons  for  each  person  in  the  United  States.  The 
changes  in  the  per-capita  consumption  from  1908  to  1927  are  shown 
in  figure  9.  During  the  first  ten  years  of  this  period  the  per-capita 
consumption  averaged  around  13.4  lemons  annually,  or  2.6  lemons  less 


18 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


than  from  1921  to  1927.  The  larger  per-capita  consumption  during 
recent  years  is  the  result  of  two  conditions;  namely,  relatively  lower 
prices  and  increased  demand. 

After  correcting  for  changes  in  the  general  price  level,  it  is  found 
that  the  relative  price  of  lemons  during  the  past  seven  years  has 
averaged  approximately  11  per  cent  lower  than  between  1908  and 
1917.  Consumers  have  been  able  to  buy  lemons  somewhat  cheaper 
as  compared  with  other  commodities  than  before  the  war.    Relatively 

Per-Capita  Consumption  of  Lemons,  United  States,  1908-1927 

t-tOC^<OWI><OCOC\J  ^^OO^lO  CDr-t  000(0 

tO^<CM^HtOOtO(OeO  t0iHlO<0<0tDr£<D<0e^io 

18 

16 
« 
a 
o 
§14 


©12 

h 

© 

1 10 

8 


co      a      o 

O       O        t-i 
o>      o      o 


■ — i     I     r    1     t    i — i — r 


O  tH         CM 

CM  CM         CM 

OS        a>       o> 


to      ^«       10     to 

CM         CM  CM         CM 

o>      o>      o>      o> 


Crop  year  ending  October  31 

Fig.  9. — There  has  been  only  a  small  increase  in  the  per-capita  consumption 
of  lemons  in  the  United  States  during  the  past  twenty  years. 
(Data  from  table  14.) 


lower  prices,  however,  probably  account  for  only  a  small  part  of  the 
increase  in  per-capita  consumption  because  the  demand  for  lemons 
is  inelastic  (see  page  20).  On  the  average,  a  change  of  almost  3  per 
cent  in  price  is  necessary  to  bring  about  a  change  of  1  per  cent  in 
the  per-capita  consumption. 

The  larger  part  of  the  increase  in  per-capita  consumption  has  been 
a  result  of  an  increase  in  the  demand  for  lemons.  Many  factors 
undoubtedly  contributed  to  this  increase  in  demand.  Among  the  more 
imporant  are  the  following :  ( 1 )  Workers  in  nutrition  have  constantly 
advocated  the  wider  use  of  lemons  because  of  the  value  of  this  fruit 
in  the  diet.  (2)  The  California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange  has  con- 
sistently advertised  lemons  for  many  years.  (3)  Improvements  in 
grading  and  packing  have  contributed  to  the  development  of  a  quality 


Bul.  460] 


LEMONS 


19 


product.     (4)  The  widening  of  the  market  areas  has  gone  far  toward 
making  lemons  available  throughout  the  entire  country. 

The  experience  of  the  past  twenty  years  indicates  that  it  is  very 
difficult  to  increase  the  demand  for  lemons.  In  view  of  the  difficulties 
involved,  however,  real  progress  has  been  made,  and  much  of  this 
progress  can  be  attributed  to  the  activities  of  the  California  Fruit 
Growers  Exchange. 

PRICES 

Wide  Fluctuation  in  Prices. — The  annual  average  prices  of  lemons 
f.o.b.  California  from  1909-10  to  1926-27  are  shown  in  figure  10.  It 
will  be  noted  that  these  prices  fluctuate  widely  from  year  to  year,  and 

Annual  Average  Price  of  Lemons,  F.O.B.  California,  1910-1927 


itOCM^tOi-ieOWtOtOCM^^^            OJ^ttOK 

5.00 
1  4.00 
^3.00 

I2-00 

Q 

1.00 
0 

/ 

\ 

/ 

\ 

/ 

\ 

/ 

\ 

"^ 

/ 

> 

v 

— 

/ 

\ 

\ 

/ 

\ 

/ 

\ 

/ 

■**** 

f 

\ 

/ 

> 

f 

\ 

/ 

\ 

/ 

o 

CM 

CM 

CM 
CM 

Crop  year  (ending  in  the  year  given) 

Fig.  10. — The  prices  of  lemons  fluctuate  widely  from  year  to  year. 
(Data  from  table  15.) 


that  the  high  prices  are  frequently  twice  as  much  as  the  low  prices. 
These  price  fluctuations  were  a  result  of  a  combination  of  factors,  the 
mere  important  of  which  were  changes  in  the  total  supply  of  lemons 
available  for  consumption  in  the  United  States  and  changes  in  the 
temperature  in  the  consuming  markets.  During  the  past  eighteen 
years  90  per  cent  of  the  total  variation  in  price  can  be  accounted  for 
by  these  two  factors. 

Effect  of  Supply  upon  Price. — The  relation  between  the  United 
States  supply  of  lemons  (California  shipments  plus  imports  minus 
exports)  and  their  annual  average  price  f.o.b.  California,  after  cor- 
recting for  the  effects  of  changes  in  temperature  in  the  consuming 


20 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


markets,  is  shown  in  figure  11.  The  solid  line  in  figure  11  represents 
the  fluctuations  in  the  supply  of  lemons  above  and  below  normal, 
expressed  as  a  percentage  of  the  trend.  The  broken  line  represents 
the  fluctuations  in  the  price  after  those  changes  which  were  caused 
by  variations  in  temperature  have  been  removed.  Throughout  the 
entire  eighteen  year  period  from  1910  to  1927  the  corrected  price 
varied  inversely  with  supply.    A  large"  supply  was  accompanied  by  a 


United  States  Supply  of  Lemons  and  the  Average  Annual  Prices  of 

California  Lemons  after  Correcting  for  Changes  in 

Summer  Temperatures,  1910-1927 


+50 

1+25 
u 

§ 

£   o 

t 

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-50 

PR 

ICE- 

4 

X 

+' 

s^ 

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.— 

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f  > 

tHrHiHrHrHiHiHrHiHi-1           CO          CM            CM           CM          CM           CM          CM          <\l 

Crop  year  (ending  in  the  year  given) 

Fig.  11. — The  price  of  lemons  varies  inversely  with  the  supply.  The  fluctu- 
ations in  prices,  however,  are  much  greater  than  the  fluctuations  in  supply, 
which  indicates  that  the  demand  for  lemons  is  relatively  inelastic. 

(The  curve  of  supply  represents  percentages  above  and  below  a  trend  fitted  to  the  figures 
in  table  14,  column  4.  The  curve  of  price  represents  the  fluctuations  in  prices  remaining 
after  the  effects  of  changes  in  the  summer  temperature  departures  from  normal  in  fourteen 
important  lemon-consuming  markets  of  the  United  States  have  been  removed.  The  price  data 
from  which  this  curve  was  derived  are  given  in  table  15,  column  1.) 

low  price;  a  small  supply  by  a  high  price.  'It -will -be 'noted,  however, 
that  the  fluctuations  in  price  are  much  greater  than  the  fluctuation  in 
supply.  On  the  average  a  change  of  1  per  cent  in  the  supply  is  accom- 
panied by  a  change  of  3  per  cent  in  price.  This  is  evidence  that  the 
demand  for  lemons  is  relatively  inelastic.  People  do  not  buy  many 
more  lemons  because  of  a  decline  in  price  nor  do  they  greatly  reduce 
their  purchases  because  of  a  rise  in  price. 

The  chief  reason  why  the  demand  for  lemons  tends  to  be  inelastic 
is  that  their  cost  is  very  often  only  a  small  part  of  the  cost  of  the 
product  in  which  they  are  used.  Lemonade  and  lemon  ice  are  about 
the  only  food  products  in  which  lemons  are  the  principal  ingredient, 


BUL.  460]  LEMONS  21 

and  even  in  these  foods  the  cost  of  the  fruit  makes  up  only  a  part  of 
the  total  cost.  In  the  preparation  of  many  other  foods,  lemons  consti- 
tute an  important  but  relatively  trifling  item  in  the  cost.  These  foods 
are  seldom  prepared  without  lemons  even  when  lemon  prices  are  high, 
but  on  the  other  hand,  no  larger  quantity  is  used  when  prices  are  low. 
The  cost  of  the  fruit  used  is  so  small  as  compared  with  the  total  cost 
of  the  product  that  a  material  change  in  the  price  of  lemons  has  but 
little  weight  in  determining  whether  the  product  will  be  made  or  not. 

The  fact  that  the  demand  for  lemons  is  relatively  inelastic  is  of 
considerable  significance.  With  a  given  demand  situation  a  material 
decline  in  price  is  necessary  in  order  to  dispose  of  a  surplus  because 
consumption  does  not  respond  promptly  to  a  lowering  of  price.  On 
the  other  hand  a  comparatively  small  shortage  in  supply  will  cause 
prices  to  rise  rapidly  because  such  a  rise  does  not  greatly  retard 
consumption. 

Because  the  demand  for  lemons  is  inelastic  a  small  crop  brings 
more  than  a  large  crop,  assuming  of  course  that  other  factors  such  as 
imports  and  temperatures  remain  constant.  Not  only  is  the  price  per 
box  materially  reduced  by  an  increase  in  the  supply  but  the  total 
amount  of  money  which  growers  receive  is  also  reduced.  Within 
certain  limits  the  more  lemons  growers  ship,  the  less  money  they  get. 
Consequently  the  large  increase  in  production  in  this  state  during 
recent  years  has  been  particularly  serious.  If  all  of  the  lemons  that 
were  produced  in  the  last  two  years  had  been  shipped,  it  would  have 
resulted  in  a  very  much  smaller  gross  return  than  was  received. 
Through  limitation  of  shipments  the  California  Fruit  Growers 
Exchange  has  saved  the  lemon  industry  millions  of  dollars  and  many 
lemon  growers  from  ruin. 

It  is  possible,  of  course,  for  a  reduction  in  shipments  from  Cali- 
fornia to  be  carried  so  far  as  to  result  unfavorably  to  the  lemon 
industry  of  the  state.  If  prices  were  greatly  increased  through  a 
decrease  in  domestic  shipments,  foreign  lemons  would  be  attracted, 
and  the  increase  in  imports  might  more  than  offset  the  decrease  in 
domestic  supplies.  Such  a  situation  would  lower  both  prices  and  total 
returns  to  California  growers. 

It  should  be  recognized  that  the  disposal  of  merchantable  fruit  by 
sending  it  to  by-product  plants  or  dumping  it  is  a  temporary  and  not 
a  permanent  solution  of  the  problem.  From  the  standpoint  of  the 
welfare  of  the  state  there  is  too  large  an  acreage  of  lemons.  By 
reducing  the  acreage  the  same  results  could  be  obtained  as  by  limiting 
shipments,  and  the  costs  of  growing  the  fruit  now  sent  to  by-product 
plants  could  be  saved.     The  land  devoted  to  the  production  of  the 


22 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


excess  lemons  could  be  used  in  growing  other  crops  from  which  a 
profit  might  be  obtained. 

Effect  of  Temperature  upon  Price. — During  the  summer  months 
lemons  are  used  extensively  in  the  preparation  of  lemonade  and  lemon 
ice.  Hot  weather  stimulates  the  demand  for  these  foods,  cool  weather 
retards  it,  The  relation  between  the  average  temperature  departures 
from  normal  in  fourteen  consuming  markets  during  the  four  months 
from  June  to  September  and  the  average  annual  price  after  correcting 
for  change  in  supply  is  shown  in  figure  12.     It  will  be  noted  that 

Average  Summer  Temperature  Departures  from  Normal  in  Fourteen  Main 

Lemon  Markets  and  Average  Annual  Prices  of  California  Lemons 

after  Correcting  for  Changes  in  Supply,  1910-1927 

60 


+  40^ 
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-p 

+  20  d 


3+4 

Z  +  2 
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EMPERATUR 

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CM 

to 

CM 

CM 

CM 

CM 

CD 

CO 

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CM         CM 

o>       Ok 


Crop  year  (ending  in  the  year  given) 


Fig.  12. — Changes  in  temperatures  in  the  consuming  markets  have  an  important 
effect  upon  the  prices  of  lemons. 

(Data  on  temperature  departures  from  normal  compiled  from  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Weather 
Bureau,  Monthly  Weather  Review,  monthly  issues.  Data  are  an  average  of  temperature 
departures  from  normal  in  fourteen  principal  lemon  markets  of  the  United  States  during  the 
four  months  of  June  to  September.  The  curve  of  price  represents  the  fluctuations  in  prices 
remaining  after  the  effects  of  changes  in  the  total  supply  of  lemons  available  for  consumption 
in  the  United  States  have  been  removed.  The  price  data  from  which  this  curve  was  derived 
are  given  in  table  15,  column  1.) 


when  temperatures  were  above  normal,  prices  were  high,  and  that 
when  temperatures  were  below  normal,  prices  were  low.  On  the  average 
1  degree  change  in  temperature  resulted  in  a  change  of  50  cents  per 
box  in  price. 

Figure  12  shows  that  on  the  average  the  summer  of  1925  was 
unusually  warm  while  the  summer  of  1927  was  unusually  cold. 
During  each  of  these  periods  there  were,  of  course,  considerable 
fluctuations  in  temperatures  from  normal.  The  effect  of  these 
short-time  fluctuations  upon  prices  is  shown  in  figure  13,      It  will 


Bul.  460] 


LEMONS 


23 


be  noted  that  the  major  changes  in  temperature  departures  from 
normal  were  accompanied  by  corresponding  changes  in  prices.  If  the 
effects  of  changes  in  supply  were  eliminated  as  they  were  in  figure  12 
the  correspondence  would  be  even  closer. 

Up  to  the  present  time,  however,  it  has  not  been  possible  to  forecast 
accurately    the    changes    in    temperature    departures    from    normal. 


Average  Weekly  F.O.B.  Prices  of  California  Lemons  and  Average  Weekly 

Temperature  Departures  from  Normal  in  Fourteen  Cities 

in  the  United  States,  1925  and  1927 


10 


8    8 


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13    20    27 
June 


11    18    25     1 
July 


8      15    22    29 
Aug. 


5     12    19     26 

Sept. 


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-6   S 


~  4     11     18     25     2       9     16     23  30      6      13     20    27     3      10    17     24    1 
June  July  Aug.  Sept. 

Fig.  13. — Prices  of  lemons  tend  to  respond  quickly  to  short-time  changes  in 
temperatures. 

(Data  from  table  4.) 


Consequently,  under  the  present  system  in  which  all  of  the  lemons  are 
stored  in  California,  marketing  organizations  have  not  been  able  to  take 
full  advantage  of  the  changes  in  demand.  Lemons  which  were  available 
in  the  consuming  markets  when  temperatures  were  above  normal  sold 
readily  at  high  prices,  and  sometimes  more  could  have  been  sold  if 
they  had  been  available.  But  the  high  prices  were  often  of  no  benefit 
in  selling  the  lemons  that  were  two  weeks  time  from  the  markets.    By 


24 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


the  time  they  reached  the  markets,  cool  weather  may  have  prevailed, 
in  which  case  low  prices  instead  of  high  prices  were  obtained. 

Effect  of  Amount  of  Sickness  upon  Price. — As  contrasted  with  the 
violent  fluctuations  during  the  summer  months  lemon  prices  are  rela- 
tively stable  during  the  winter  months.  The  principal  factor  affecting 
changes  in  the  demand  for  lemons  in  the  winter  appears  to  be  the 
amount  of  sickness  such  as  cold  and  influenza.  Lemons  are  used  widely 
as  a  remedy  for  these  ailments.     Consequently,  a  serious  outbreak 

TABLE  4 

Average  Weekly  F.O.B.  Prices  of  California  Lemons  and  Average  Weekly 
Temperature  Departures  from  Normal  in  Fourteen  Cities  in  the 


F.O.B.  price  per  packed  box 

Temperature  departures  from  normal 

1925 

1927 

1925 

1927 

Week  ending 

Dollars 

Week  ending 

Dollars 

Week  ending 

Degrees 

Week  ending 

Degrees 

5.82 

7.76 

6.43 

4.56 

3.96 

4.26  ' 

5.08 

4.54 

3.31 

2.56 

2.72 

3.49 

4  10 

5.36 

7.24 

7.08 

7.42 

6,23 

3.51 
3.65 
4.12 
3.71 
3.96 
4.60 
5.60 
6.15 
5.83 
5.93 
5.64 
5.07 
4.90 
4.91 
6.26 
9.60 
7.38 
7.02 

+  0.6 
+12.0 
+  2.4 
+  3.6 

-  2.0 
+  2.3 
+  3.4 

-  0.5 

-  2.4 

-  6.2 
+  0.7 
+  2.0 
+  0.4 
+  2.7 
+  7.6 
+  6.4 
+  5.7 
+  0.1 

May   31 

-3.4 

13 

11 

9 

-5  1 

20 

18.  .. 

16 

14     .. 

-0.6 

27 

25. . .. 

23 

21 

-7.3 

July     3 

July     2 .... 

30 

28 

-2.6 

11 

9 

July     7 

July     5 

-0.4 

18 

16... 

14 

12 

-1.8 

25 

23 

21 

19 

+2.3 

30 

28 

26 

-3.1 

g 

Aug.     6 

Aug.     2 

+0.4 

15 

13 

11 

18 

25 

9 

-3.7 

22     . 

20 

16 

-2.7 

29..  . 

27 

23 

-5.0 

Sept     5 

Sept.    3 

Sept.    1 

30 

-6.1 

12 

10.. 

8 

Sept.    6 

+2.2 

19    .    .    . 

17 

15 

13 

+5.6 

26 

24 

22 

20 

+6,5 

Oct       3 

Oct.      1.... 

29 

27 

-4  3 

Sources  of  data: 

F.O.B.  prices  compiled  by  the  California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange. 

Temperature  departures  from  normal  compiled  from  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Weather  Bureau,  Weekly 
Weather  and  Crop  Bulletin.  Data  are  an  average  of  temperature  departures  from  normal  in  the  following 
cities:  Atlanta,  Baltimore,  Boston,  Chicago,  Cincinnati,  Cleveland,  Detroit,  Kansas  City,  Memphis, 
New  York,  Philadelphia,  Pittsburgh,  St.  Louis,  and  St.  Paul. 


greatly  increases  the  demand  while  the  lack  of  the  usual  amount 
retards  it,  According  to  the  annual  reports  of  the  California  Fruit 
Growers  Exchange  the  pronounced  rise  in  the  price  of  lemons  in 
February,  1920,  and  in  March,  1926,  was  largely  due  to  influenza 
epidemics.  On  the  other  hand  the  demand  for  lemons  was  below 
normal  in  the  winters  of  1923-24  and  1926-27,  largely  because  of  the 
absence  of  the  usual  amount  of  sickness. 


Bul.  460] 


LEMONS 


25 


Seasonal  Variation  in  Lemon  Prices. — It  has  already  been  pointed 
out  that  during  a  given  year  prices  of  lemons  fluctuate  considerably, 
being  high  at  some  periods  and  low  at  others.  The  question  arises  as 
to  whether  these  high  and  low  prices  tend  to  be  repeated  at  the  same 
periods  year  after  year.  In  other  words,  over  a  period  of  years  have 
prices  been  higher  on  the  average  in  some  months  than  in  others,  and 
if  so,  how  much  higher  ?    The  answer  to  the  question  is  shown  by  the 

Seasonal  Variations  in  the  Prices  of  California  Lemons,  Average  1913-14 

to  1926-27,  Annual  1925-26  and  1926-27 

(Crop-year  average  price  equals  100  per  cent.) 


Average     <g 
1914-1927 

CO 

(0 

CO 

to 

CO 

to 

CO 

CO 
CO 

1925-26     £ 

o 

o 

r-l 

to 
o 

1926-27     g 

3 

to 

CO 

O 
C- 

CO 

«o 

175 


150 


g  125 

o 

u 

£  100 


75 


AVERAGE    1913-14  TO  1926-27 


926-27 


0  c 


1\ 


^T 


\ 


O  Q) 

53  Q 


£ 


S 


Fig.  14. — Prices  of  lemons  are  generally  higher  in  the  summer  than  in  the 
winter  months. 

(Data  compiled  from  records  of  the  California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange.  The  average 
monthly  prices  of  lemons  per  packed  box  f.o.b.  California  from  November,  1922,  to  October, 
1927,  are  given  in  table  16.) 

solid  line  in  figure  14,  which  represents  the  average  seasonal  movement 
of  lemon  prices  during  the  past  fourteen  years.  It  will  be  noted  that, 
from  November  to  April,  prices  have  been  relatively  low  on  the 
average,  and  that  from  May  to  October  they  have  been  relatively  high. 
The  chief  cause  of  this  situation  is  the  existence  of  a  pronounced 
seasonal  demand  for  lemons.  In  the  summer  months  this  demand  is 
much  greater  than  in  the  winter  months.  This  is  clearly  shown  by 
the  fact  that  both  prices  and  shipments  are  higher  in  the  summer  than 
in  the  winter.    During  the  period  from  May  to  August  people  not  only 


26  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

buy  three  times  as  many  lemons  on  the  average  as  they  do  from 
November  to  March,  but  they  pay  a  third  more  for  them. 

The  fact  that  lemon  prices  have  averaged  higher  in  some  months 
than  in  others  has  a  bearing  upon  the  profitableness  of  growing  them 
in  the  several  sections  of  the  state.  Those  sections  which  normally 
ship  a  relatively  large  proportion  of  their  crop  during  the  summer 
and  fall  months  have  had  a  considerable  advantage  in  price  over  those 
sections  which  normally  ship  the  bulk  of  their  crop  in  the  winter  and 
spring  months.  This  price  advantage  may  mean  the  difference  between 
a  profitable  and  an  unprofitable  lemon  district.  Of  course  price  is  not 
the  only  factor  affecting  net  returns.  Yields  and  costs  are  likewise 
important  and  they  may  more  than  offset  low  prices. 

It  should  be  clearly  understood  that  the  average  seasonal  move- 
ment of  lemon  prices  shown  by  the  solid  line  in  figure  14  represents 
only  general  tendencies.  In  any  given  year  the  movement  of  prices 
during  the  season  may  vary  considerably  from  the  average.  This  is 
illustrated  by  the  broken  lines  on  figure  14,  which  show  the  price 
movement  during  1925-26  and  1926-27.  It  will  be  noted  that  in 
1925-26  prices  were  unusually  high  during  the  first  part  of  the  season 
and  unusually  low  during  the  last  part,  while  in  1926-27  just  the 
opposite  situation  occurred.  Because  the  price  movements  during  the 
season  are  seldom  the  same  two  years  in  succession,  the  average  price 
movement  is  of  little  value  in  determining  the  best  time  to  sell  lemons 
during  any  particular  year.  Each  year  presents  a  different  problem 
in  distribution,  and  seldom  is  it  an  easy  one. 

Estimated  Farm  Price  of  Lemons. — Figure  10,  page  19,  shows  that 
the  f.o.b.  price  per  packed  box  has  averaged  higher  during  recent 
years  than  before  the  war.  Growers,  however,  have  not  received  more 
money  per  packed  box  for  those  shipped  because  the  expenses  of 
picking,  hauling,  packing,  and  marketing  have  increased  sufficiently 
to  offset  the  higher  f.o.b.  price.  In  addition  all  of  the  merchantable 
fruit  produced  during  recent  years  has  not  been  shipped  (see  page  9), 
so  that  the  average  farm  price  per  packed  box  for  those  produced  has 
been  even  lower  during  the  past  few  years  than  before  the  war.  This 
is  shown  by  the  solid  line  in  figure  15,  which  represents  the  farm  price 
per  packed  box  on  the  tree  expressed  as  a  percentage  of  the  average 
price  from  1910  to  1914.  It  will  be  noted  that  there  has  been  a  long 
time  downward  trend  on  the  farm  price.  The  average  farm  price 
between  1910  and  1914  amounted  to  ,$2.51  a  packed  box  as  against  an 
average  of  $1.93  from  1923  to  1927.  This  decline  in  price,  however, 
has  been  offset  to  a  considerable  extent  by  the  increase  in  the  yield 


Bul.  460] 


LEMONS 


27 


per  acre  (see  page  10).  As  a  result  growers  have  received  almost  as 
many  dollars  per  acre  during  recent  years  as  before  the  war.  The 
value  of  the  dollar,  however,  is  lower.  The  price  level  of  commodities 
in  general,4  as  shown  by  the  broken  line  in  figure  15,  is  approximately 
50  per  cent  higher  than  before  the  war.  This  means,  of  course,  that 
it  now  takes  $1.50  to  buy  goods  in  general  which  could  have  been 
bought  for  $1.00  before  1914. 

Estimated  Farm  Price  of  Lemons  on  the  Trees  and  All-Commodity  Index 

of  Wholesale  Prices,  1910-1927 

(Average  1910-1914  equals  100.) 

All         ;£ 

Commod.  2 

Lemons     o> 


ID 

o> 
o> 

CM 
O 

1-4 

O 

o 

O 

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CM 

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o 

CM 

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CM 

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t-i 

in 

CO 

to 

cm 

to 

CO 

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in 

to 

CO 

to 

225 
200 
175 
150 
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75 

50 

25 

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/IONS 

O  rH 


ID 

CO 

r» 

CM 

CM 

CM 

CJ> 

a> 

o> 

Crop  year  (ending  in  the  year  given) 

Fig.  15. — During  recent  years  the  farm  prices  of  lemons  have  averaged  con- 
siderably below  the  pre-war  level,  whereas  the  prices  of  commodities  in  general 
have  been  considerably  above   the  pre-war  level. 

(Data  from  table  15.) 


UNITED  STATES   FOREIGN  TRADE   IN  LEMONS 

Imports.— During  the  past  five  years  approximately  20  per  cent  of 
the  lemons  consumed  in  the  United  States  were  imported.  Before  the 
war  the  proportion  was  much  larger,  amounting  to  over  50  per  cent. 

The  changes  in  the  United  States  imports  of  lemons  during  the 
past  twenty  years  is  shown  in  figure  16.  The  period  from  1908  to 
1919  is  characterized  by  a  pronounced  downward  trend,  being  inter- 

*  The  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics  all  commodity  index  of  wholesale  prices  in  the 
United  States  is  used  to  measure  the  changes  in  the  general  price  level. 


28 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


rupted  only  in  1913  and  1914,  the  two  years  of  very  short  crops  in 
California,  One  cause  for  this  decline  was  the  large  decrease  in  lemon 
production  in  Italy,  which  is  the  source  of  practically  all  of  the 
United  States  lemon  imports.  Another  cause  was  the  activity  of  the 
California  marketing  organization  in  extending  the  markets  for 
domestic  lemons. 

United  States  Imports  of  Lemons,  1908-1927 


we-      rM 
©  o     o 


>-*&    CO          rH            i-H           <-)            rH 

M         CM 

H         < 

H 

H         r-i 

t-H 

r-i          r-\ 

H 

r-4 

3,000 
2,500 

2,000 

CO 

9 

g 

*  1,500 

o 

o 
o 

*  1,000 

500 

XX      9     ri      *i      w     **      u>»e-<o      cnor-tojto      **      u>     <o     e- 

£?    2    _d?    £?    r-l    |H    r-i         i-t    rH    f-H    r-l    CM    CM    CM    CM    CM    CM    CM    CM 

c>      o>      o>      o>      o>      o>     o>       o>o>cncno>cno>o>o>o>o>o>cn 

iHi-«  ,-«,-<  pH  rtt-l  i-l         r-1  r-i         i-H  r-lrHiHi-lr-i  r-«  iHrHi-l 

Crop  year  ending  Ootober  31 

Fig.  16. — There  was  a  substantial  decrease  in  the  United  States  imports  of 
lemons  between  1908  and  1919.  Since  1919  the  downward  trend  has  continued, 
but  it  has  been  much  less  pronounced. 

(Data  from  table  14,  column  2.) 


Since  1919  there  has  been  only  a  small  downward  trend  in  imports, 
lemon  production  in  Italy  has  been  maintained  at  approximately  the 
same  level  during  recent  years,  and  consequently  there  has  been  no 
great  change  in  the  amount  of  lemons  available  for  export  from  that 
country.  The  small  decrease  in  our  imports  appears  to  have  been 
largely  the  result  of  the  increase  in  the  tariff  of  1922. 

During  the  past  four  years  the  imports  of  lemons  have  fluctuated 
around  1,000,000  boxes  a  year.  Since  the  average  lemon  crop  in 
California  is  now  large  enough  to  supply  all  of  the  lemons  which  the 
United  States  annually  consumes,  the  importation  of  foreign  lemons 
tends  to  force  a  corresponding  amount  of  domestic  lemons  into  by- 
products from  which  growers  receive  practically  no  returns.  A  sub- 
stantial reduction  in  imports  would  enable  domestic  producers  to  sell 
practically  all  of  their  merchantable  lemons  at  the  same  price  as  they 


Bul.  460] 


LEMONS 


29 


are  now  receiving  for  only  a  part  of  them.  This  would  go  far  toward 
relieving  the  present  unsatisfactory  condition  in  the  California  lemon 
industry. 

In  figure  1 6  it  will  be  noted  that  imports  during  recent  years  have 
fluctuated  violently.  An  important  cause  for  these  fluctuations  has 
been  the  changes  in  the  prices  of  lemons  in  this  country.  When  prices 
are  high,  imports  tend  to  increase;  when  prices  are  low,  they  tend 
to  decline.  By  limiting  domestic  shipments  growers  could  obtain 
higher  prices,  but  if  prices  should  go  very  high  for  a  considerable 
period  of  time,  heavy  supplies  of  foreign  lemons  would  be  attracted, 
which  would  tend  to  force  prices  down. 


TABLE  5 

United  States  Imports  of  Lemons,  November,  1922,  to  October,  1927 

(Boxes  of  75  pounds  net.) 


Average 

Months 

1922-23 

1923-24 

1924-25 

1925-26 

1926-27 

1922-23  to  1926-27 

1,000  boxes 

1,000  boxes 

1,000  boxes 

1,000  boxes 

1,000  boxes 

1,000  boxes 

per  cent 

100 
90 
100 

34 
21 
12 

10 
52 
54 

49 
50 

27 

2 

4 

36 

39 
43 
46 

3.4 

3.7 

4.0 

February 

39 

28 

72 

36 

17 

39 

3.4 

March 

218 

20 

82 

54 

17 

79 

6.8 

April 

154 

25 

124 

104 

23 

86 

7.5 

May 

186 

80 

229 

141 

75 

142 

12.3 

June 

350 

207 

433 

312 

171 

294 

25.5 

July 

321 

103 

241 

165 

178 

202 

17.5 

August 

98 

38 

82 

83 

102 

80 

7.0 

September 

116 

39 

46 

46 

64 

62 

5.4 

October 

42 

11 

89 

12 

45 

40 

3.5 

Total 

1,814 

618 

1,514 

1,079 

734 

1,152 

100  0 

Source  of  data:  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Commerce,  Monthly  Summary  of  Foreign  Commerce  of  the  United 
States,  monthly  issues. 

Foreign  lemons  come  into  the  United  States  every  month  of  the 
year  (table  5).  The  bulk  of  them,  however,  are  imported  during  the 
three  months  of  May,  June,  and  July,  thus  competing  directly  with 
our  lemons  during  the  period  of  our  heaviest  shipments. 

Exports. — Lemon  exports  from  the  United  States,  although  still 
relatively  unimportant,  have  increased  from  60,000  boxes  in  1913  to 
340,000  boxes  in  1927.  The  average  exports  during  the  past  five  years 
have  amounted  to  234,000  boxes,  which  is  equal  to  only  5  per  cent  of 
our  domestic  shipments. 

Canada  is  our  most  important  foreign  market  for  lemons,  taking 
on  the  average  80  per  cent  of  our  total  exports.  Most  of  the  remain- 
ing 20  per  cent  go  to  China,  Japan,  Philippine  Islands,  and  New 


30 


UNIVERSITY   OF    CALIFORNIA — EXPERIMENT    STATION 


Zealand.  The  United  States  is  the  main  source  of  the  Canadian  supply 
of  lemons.  The  only  other  country  from  which  Canada  imports 
appreciable  quantities  is  Italy.  In  New  Zealand,  Australia  is  our 
principal  competitor.  New  Zealand,  however,  is  a  very  limited  market, 
taking"  only  from  12,000  to  15,000  boxes  a  year. 

The  United  States  exports  lemons  every  month  of  the  year  but 
principally  during  the  five  months  of  March  to  July  (table  6). 

TABE  6 
United  States  Exports  of  Lemons,  November,  1922,  to  October,  1927 


Month 

1922-23 

1923-24 

1924-25 

1925-26 

1926-27 

Average 
1922-23  to  1926-27 

November 

1,000  boxes 

8 
10 
14 
17 
18 
13 
22 
17 
11 
13 

6 
16 

1,000  boxes 
17 
18 
14 
19 
26 
29 
30 
27 
26 
11 
10 
14 

1,000  boxes 
10 
13 
10 
10 
15 
21 
21 
13 
17 
11 

5 

9 

1,000  boxes 
14 
15 
14 
13 
22 
32 
37 
29 
32 
25 
16 
21 

1,000  boxes 
22 
33 
27 
28 
36 
39 
47 
41 
27 
22 
8 
10 

1,000  boxes 
14 
18 
16 
17 
23 
27 
31 
25 
23 
17 
9 
14 

per  cent 
6  0 

7  6 

6  7 

7.5 

10  0 

April 

11.5 

May 

13.4 

June 

July 

August 

September 

10.9 
9.7 
7.0 
3.8 
5.9 

Total 

165 

241 

155 

270 

340 

234 

100.0 

Source  of  data:  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Commerce,  Monthly  Summary  of  Foreign  Commerce  of  the  United 
States,  monthly  issues. 


FOREIGN    LEMON-PRODUCING    COUNTRIES 

The  principal  lemon-producing  countries  of  the  world,  other  than 
the  United  States,  are  Italy,  Spain,  and  Australia. 

Italy. — Italy  is  the  largest  lemon-producing  country  of  the  world. 
Since  1920  Italian  lemon  production  has  remained  fairly  stationary  at 
around  9,700,000  boxes  a  year  (table  7).  Before  1920,  however,  there 
was  a  downward  trend  in  production.  The  average  production  during 
the  two  years  of  1914  and  1915  was  3,000,000  boxes  larger  than  the 
average  from  1920  to  1925. 

Approximately  50  per  cent  of  the  Italian  lemons  are  exported  in 
the  fresh  form.  Exports  during  the  five  years  of  1922  to  1926  have 
averaged  1,755,000  boxes  lower  than  from  1909  to  1913. 

Table  8  shows  the  principal  markets  for  Italian  lemons  during  the 
two  five-year  periods  of  1909-1913  and  1922-1926.  It  will  be  noted 
that  during  both  of  these  periods  the  three  countries,  Germany,  United 


Bul.  460] 


LEMONS 


31 


TABLE  7 

Lemon  Production  in  Italy,  Spain,  and  Australia 

(Boxes  of  75  pounds  net.) 


Italy 

Spain 

Australia 

Year 

1 

2 

3 

1914 

1,000  boxes 
12,549 
12,940 
16,138 

9,080 
10,700 
10,447 

9,965 

8,798 
10,087 

9,332 
10,080 

9,814 

1,000  boxes 

1,000  boxes 

1915 

198 

1916 

176 

1917 

204 

1918 

242 

1919 

236 

1920 

256 

1921 

272 

1922 
1923 

810 

303 

272 

1924 

265 

1925 

292 

1926 

1,395 

333 

Sources  of  data: 

Column  1.   U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Bur.  Agr.  Econ.   Foreign  News  on  Citrus.   F.  S.   CF-42:  6.   1927. 

Column  2.   International  Institute  of  Agriculture.  International  Yearbook  of  Agricultural  Statistics, 
1926-27,  p.  34.    1927. 

Column  3.   Commonwealth  of  Australia,  Official  Year  Book,  annual  numbers. 


TABLE  8 

Exports  of  Lemons  from  Italy  by  Countries  of  Destination, 

Average  1909-13  and  1922-26 

(Boxes  of  75  pounds  net.) 


Country  of 

Volume 

exported 

Percentage  exported 

destination 

1909-13 

1922-26 

1909-13 

1922-26 

1,000  boxes 
1,382 

1,000  boxes 

259 

228 

96 

100 

326 

1,196 

1,064 

per  cent 
18.7 

per  cent 
4.6 

4.1 

1.7 

1.8 

90 

997 

1,425 

615 

86 

182 

1,999 

605 

1.2 

13.5 

19.3 

8.3 

12 

2.5 

27.1 

8.2 

5.8 

21.3 

United  Kingdom 

18.9 

Switzerland 

170 

166 

1,254 

767 

3.0 

2.9 

United  Stat  est.  . 

22.3 

Others 

13.6 

Total 

7,381 

5,626 

100.0 

100  0 

*  Austria-Hungary. 

t  United  States  imports  from  Italy.   These  figures  do  not  agree  with  the  Italian  exports  to  the  United 
States  which  are  reported  as  2,449,000  boxes,  average  1909-13  and  1,226,000  boxes  average  1922-26. 
Sources  of  data: 

Years  1909-13  compiled  from  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Bur.  Agr.  Econ.  Foreign  Crops  and  Markets  14:  243, 
1927,  except  for  United  States  which  are  from  U.  S.  Dept.  Commerce,  Monthly  Summary  of  Foreign 
Commerce  of  the  United  States,  monthly  issues. 

Years  1922-26  compiled  from  Moriarity,  D.  J.  Italian  foreign  trade  in  fresh  fruits.  U.  S.  Dept.  of 
Commerce,  Commerce  Reports  30:  478.  1927;  except  for  United  States,  which  are  from  U.  S.  Dept.  Com- 
merce, Monthly  Summary  of  Foreign  Commerce  of  the  United  States,  monthly  issues. 


32  UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 

States  and  United  Kingdom,  took  about  60  per  cent  of  the  total  Italian 
exports.  The  decrease  in  the  percentage  of  the  Italian  exports  to  the 
United  States  and  Great  Britain  was  offset  by  the  increase  to  Germany. 

Spain. — Indications  are  that  there  has  been  a  substantial  increase 
in  Spanish  lemon  production  during  recent  years.  According  to 
the  International  Yearbook  of  Agricultural  Statistics,  1926-27,  the 
acreage  of  lemons  in  Spain  increased  from  4,300  acres  in  1922  to  7,300 
acres  in  1926.  The  estimated  lemon  production  in  1926  amounted  to 
1,395,000  boxes.5 

Exports  of  lemons  from  Spain  have  increased  from  176,000  boxes 
in  1922  to  367,000  boxes  in  1926. 

Australia. — In  1926  Australia  produced  333,000  boxes  of  lemons, 
which  is  30,000  boxes  larger  than  the  record  crop  of  1922  and  40,000 
boxes  larger  than  the  five-year  (1922-26)  average.  Although  the 
trend  of  lemon  production  in  Australia  is  upward,  the  amount  now 
produced  is  very  small  as  compared  with  that  in  the  United  States, 
Italy,  and  Spain.  Consequently,  Australia  is  not  likely  to  become  an 
important  factor  in  the  world  situation  for  many  years. 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

The  authors  of  this  bulletin  wish  to  express  their  thanks  and 
indebtedness  to  the  following  organizations  which  have  generously 
contributed  from  their  data  and  their  time :  California  Fruit  Growers 
Exchange;  California  Cooperative  Crop  Reporting  Service;  Bureau 
of  Agricultural  Economics,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture ; 
Bureau  of  Foreign  and  Domestic  Commerce,  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Commerce;  California  Farm  Bureau  Federation;  California 
Agricultural  Legislative  Committee ;  and  the  Division  of  Agricultural 
Economics,  University  of  California.  Professor  Robert  W.  Hodgson, 
Division  of  Subtropical  Horticulture,  University  of  California,  Mr. 
Warren  R.  Schoonover,  Extension  Specialist  in  Citriculture,  and  the 
farm  advisors  in  the  important  lemon-producing  counties  have  also 
furnished  much  valuable  information. 


5  International  Institute  of  Agriculture.     International  Yearbook  of  Agricul- 
tural Statistics,  1926-27:34.     Rome,  Italy.     1927. 


Bul.  460' 


LEMONS 


33 


APPENDIX   OF  TABLES 


TABLE  9 

California  Lemon  Acreage  by  Counties;  Bearing  Acreage,  1921-1928, 

and  Non-Bearing  Acreage,  1928 


Bearing  acreage 

Non- 
bearing 

County 

1921 

1922 

1923 

1924 

1925 

1926 

1927 

1928 

acreage 
1928* 

670 
46 

553 

48 

23 

2,820 

180 
10 

868 
46 

700 

99 

23 

2,872 

180 
10 

868 
46 

700 

99 

23 

2,890 

190 
10 

869 
46 

700 

100 

23 

2,907 

200 
10 

867 
46 

700 

98 

23 

2,937 

230 
10 

852 

7 

729 

93 

23 

2,970 

260 

12 

858 

15 

720 

93 

30 

2,997 

280 

12 

4 

18 

2,683 

39,324 

11,898 

6,622 

3,810 

5,429 

4,257 

1,565 

5,743 

843 

Butte 

720 

93 

30 

2,994 

280 

8 

32 

20 

56 
2,574 
38,776 
11,352 
7,080 
4,822 
4,831 
4,100 
1,035 
5,556 

6 
2,676 
38,788 
11,263 
7,050 
4,880 
4,887 
4,200 
1,140 
5,368 

13 
2,677 
39,263 
11,263 
7,000 
4,938 
4,943 
4,380 
1,250 
5,489 

19 
2,678 
39,439 
11,263 
6,900 
5,005 
5,000 
4,300 
1,360 
5,611 

15 

2,682 
40,466 
11,740 
6,850 
5,155 
5,431 
4,250 
1,365 
5,675 

16 
2,682 
39,995 
11,807 
6,815 
4,485 
5,523 
4,054 
1,565 
5,746 

18 
2,688 
39,027 
11,520 
6,531 
3,694 
5,434 
4,382 
1,625 
5,841 

j 

11 

2,184 

224 

597 

20 

443 

115 

785 

Total  California 

42,266 

42,528 

43,021 

43,215 

44,270 

43,816 

43,179 

42,864 

2,216 

*  Does  not  include  451  acres  planted  in  1927. 

Source  of  data:  Revised  figures  compiled  by  N.  I.  Nielsen,  Fruit  Statistician,  California  Cooperative 
Crop  Reporting  Service. 

TABLE  10 

Ca-rlot  Shipments  of  Lemons  by  Districts  and  Counties,  California, 

1920-21  to  1926-27 


Crop  year 

November  to  October 

District  or  county 

1920-21 

1921-22 

1922-23 

1923-24 

1924-25 

1925-26 

1926-27* 

Northern  district 

cars 
9 

207 
3,650 
2,010 
1,009 

419 
1,261 
1,113 
2,158 

cars 

14 

117 

1,998 

1,781 

1,171 

515 

795 

1,200 

2,316 

cars 

54 

229 

1,635 

1,475 

999 

580 

509 

1,203 

2,262 

cars 
74 

151 
3,147 
2,171 
1,391 

584 
1,663 
1,236 
2,911 

cars 
38 

155 
2,581 
1,584 
1,076 

538 
1,383 
1,511 
2,811 

cars 
61 

266 
3,795 
1,674 
1,211 

636 
1,836 
1,529 
2,973 

cars 
154 

Central  district 

331 

Los  Angeles 

3,510 

Orange 

1,585 

1,301 

67"7 

1,610 

1,428 

2,926 

Total 

11,836 

9,907 

8,946 

13,388 

11,680 

13,981 

13,522 

*  Preliminary  data,  subject  to  revision. 

Sources  of  data:  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Bur.  Agr.  Econ.  Unpublished  data  (revised)  except  for  the  10 
months  of  January  to  October,  1927,  which  are  from:  Yoeman,  Opal  V.  Summary  of  carlot  shipments  of 
important  fruits  and  vegetables  in  California,  Arizona,  and  Nevada,  1927.  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Bur.  Agr. 
Econ.,  mimeographed  circular,  1928. 


34 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


TABLE   11 
Caklot  Shipments  of  Lemons,  California  by  Months,  1920-21  to  1926-27 


Year 

Nov. 

Dec. 

Jan. 

Feb. 

Mar. 

Apr. 

May 

June 

July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Total 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

1920-21 

428 

396 

682 

727 

931 

1,120 

1,471 

2,236 

1,803 

574 

881 

587 

11,836 

1921-22 

395 

500 

593 

671 

918 

956 

1,816 

1,665 

840 

769 

480 

304 

9,907 

1922-23 

381 

358 

679 

616 

664 

838 

1,274 

1,415 

808 

671 

561 

681 

8,946 

1923-24 

428 

606 

747 

798 

1,069 

1,608 

2,134 

2,086 

1,251 

1,371 

763 

527 

13,388 

1924-25 

601 

594 

653 

598 

860 

961 

1,754 

1,946 

1,581 

730 

683 

719 

11,680 

1925-26 

468 

636 

689 

571 

1,387 

1,193 

2,382 

1,975 

1,902 

1,399 

592 

787 

13,981 

1926-27* 

636 

752 

1,044 

719 

1,201 

1,354 

1,972 

2,197 

1,598 

914 

499 

636 

13,522 

Source  of  data,   see  table   12. 

TABLE  12 

Monthly  Carlot  Shipments  of  Lemons  by  Districts  and  Counties, 

California,  1924-25  to  1926-27 


District  or  county 


Nov. 

Dec. 

Jan. 

Feb. 

Mar. 

Apr. 

May 

June 

July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

cars 

9 
6 

10 
14 

7 
4 

2 

3 

2 

2 

5 
4 

6 

15 

4 

11 

33 

36 

?A 

19 

n 

8 

I 

?, 

4 

4 

11 

32 

35 

18 

19 

10 

5 

?, 

23 

35 

76 

73 

as 

30 

12 

10 

7 

19 

45 

89 

54 

62 

28 

8 

8 

1 

4 

13 

131 

150 

132 

110 

161 

195 

383 

451 

345 

156 

169 

198 

147 

198 

183 

151 

364 

296 

644 

514 

485 

395 

181 

237 

227 

231 

266 

174 

281 

318 

512 

575 

419 

154 

136 

217 

58 

70 

62 

92 

149 

165 

243 

267 

239 

87 

63 

89 

31 

43 

35 

45 

165 

164 

340 

339 

252 

159 

39 

62 

51 

72 

91 

67 

144 

183 

255 

267 

183 

198 

30 

44 

110 

51 

72 

73 

86 

65 

193 

185 

112 

36 

42 

51 

35 

40 

77 

87 

187 

155 

273 

124 

107 

53 

24 

49 

39 

59 

107 

82 

167 

191 

244 

234 

79 

9 

38 

52 

43 

26 

32 

21 

38 

36 

53 

66 

70 

36 

61 

56 

25 

25 

21 

21 

42 

39 

69 

84 

108 

100 

52 

50 

37 

40 

51 

43 

53 

47 

53 

104 

91 

47 

61 

50 

101 

102 

111 

79 

106 

81 

172 

228 

162 

84 

77 

80 

93 

113 

127 

105 

226 

151 

255 

198 

193 

157 

82 

136 

89 

107 

154 

109 

158 

171 

232 

268 

169 

76 

23 

54 

54 

69 

96 

114 

143 

185 

269 

230 

169 

66 

51 

65 

48 

53 

82 

64 

175 

183 

323 

205 

219 

114 

21 

42 

25 

47 

112 

67 

131 

181 

244 

304 

157 

79 

32 

49 

84 

84 

106 

89 

158 

224 

436 

511 

482 

265 

220 

152 

48 

74 

87 

69 

192 

178 

464 

511 

536 

421 

193 

200 

138 

128 

138 

99 

186 

213 

416 

436 

500 

348 

171 

153 

Total 


Northern  district 

1924-25 

1925-26 

1926-27* 

Central  district: 

1924-25 

1925-26 

1926-27* 

Los  Angeles: 

1924-25 

1925-26 

1926-27* 

Orange: 

1924-25 

1925-26 

1926-27* 

Riverside: 

1924-25 

1925-26 

1926-27* 

Santa  Barbara: 

1924-25 

1925-26 

1926-27* 

San  Bernardino: 

1924-25 

1925-26 

1926-27* 

San  Diego: 

1924-25 

1925-26 

1926-27* 

Ventura: 

1924-25 

1925-26 

1926-27* 


cars 

38 
61 
154 

155 
266 
331 

2,581 
3,795 
3,510 

1,584 
1,674 
1,585 

1,076 
1,211 
1,301 

538 
636 

677 

1,383 
1,836 
1,610 

1,511 
1,529 
1,428 

2,811 
2,973 

2,926 


*  Data  for  January  to  October,  1927,  are  preliminary  and  subject  to  revision. 

Sources  of  data:  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Bur.  Agr.  Econ.  Unpublished  data  (revised),  except  for  the  10 
months  of  January  to  October,  1927,  which  are  from  Yoeman,  Opal  V.  Summary  of  carlot  shipments  of 
important  fruits  and  vegetables  in  California,  Arizona,  and  Nevada,  1927.  U.  S.  Dept.  Agr.  Bur.  Agr. 
Econ.,  mimeographed  circular,  1928. 


Bul.  460] 


LEMONS 


35 


TABLE   13 

Lemon"  Shipments  from  California,  1908-1927,  and  Estimated 
Commercial  Production,  1916-1927 


Mixed  car 

Total 

Estimated 

Carlot  shipments 

and  local 

ship- 

pro- 

Year 

shipments 

ments 

duction 

ending 

Oct.  31 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

cars 

1,000  boxes 

1,000  boxes 

1,000  boxes 

1,000  boxes 

1908 

4,959 

1,597 

1,597 

1909 

6,196 

2,020 

2,020 

1910 

4,891 

1,628 

1,628 

1911 

6,891 

2,315 

2,315 

1912 

6,133 

2,147 

2,147 

1913 

2,304 

866 

866 

1914 

3,032 
7,068 

1,155 
2,601 

1,155 
2,601 

1915 

1916 

7,186 

2,713 

2,713 

2,800 

1917 

7,915 

3,027 

225 

3,252 

3,400 

1918 

6,337 

2,498 

167 

2,665 

2,700 

1919 

10,007 

4,036 

237 

4,273 

4,700 

1920 

9,045 

3,737 

206 

3,943 

4,500 

1921 

11,805 

4,728 

207 

4,935 

5,600 

1922 

9,926 

3,859 

168 

4,027 

4,400 

1923 

8,741 

3,198 

191 

3,389 

3,500 

1924 

13,097 

4,898 

269 

5,167 

6,500 

1925 

11,758 

4,185 

334 

4,519 

5,100 

1926 

13,610 

4,807 

401 

5,208 

6,700 

1927 

13,437 

4,750 

358 

5,108 

7,500 

Sources  of  data: 

Column  1.  Compiled  by  the  California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange  from  railroad  reports  of  carlot 
shipments  at  points  of  passing. 

Column  2.  Number  of  cars  in  column  1  converted  to  boxes  on  the  basis  of  the  California  Fruit  Growers 
Exchange  average  load,  which  has  varied  from  322  to  414.6  boxes  per  car  at  different  periods. 

Column  3.  Compiled  by  the  California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange.  Includes  only  mixed  car  and  local 
shipments  of  that  organization.   Data  prior  to  1917  are  not  available. 

Column  4.   Shipments  plus  estimated  tonnage  sent  to  by-product  plants  and  dumped. 


36 


UNIVERSITY    OF    CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT    STATION 


TABLE   14 

United  States  Shipments,  Imports,  Exports,  and  Per-Capita  Consumption 

of  Lemons,  1908-1927 

(Boxes  of  75  pounds  net.) 


Year 
ending 
Oct.  31 

Domestic 
shipments 

Imports 

Domestic 
exports 

Supply 
available 

for  con- 
sumption 

Per- 
capita 
con- 
sumption 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

1908 

1,000  boxes 
1,597 

1,000  boxes 
2,107 

1,000  boxes 

1,000  boxes 
3,704 

lemons 
13.7 

1909 

2,020 

1,901 

3,921 

14.3 

1910 

1,627 

1,934 

3,561 

12.7 

1911 

2,315 

1,837 

4,152 

14.6 

1912 

2,147 

1,695 

3,842 

13.3 

1913 

866 

2,335 

65 

3,136 

10.7 

1914 

1,155 

2,975 

85 

4,045 

13.6 

1915 

2,601 

1,699 

141 

4,159 

13.8 

1916 

2,713 

1,477 

171 

4,019 

13.2 

1917 

3,252 

1,137 

163 

4,226 

13  6 

1918 

2,665 

1,074 

162 

3,577 

11.4 

1919 

4,273 

825 

311 

4,787 

15.0 

1920 

3,943 

1,526 

295 

5,174 

16.0 

1921 

4,935 

779 

313 

5,401 

16  4 

1922 

4,027 

1,338 

193 

5,172 

15.5 

1923 

3,389 

1,814 

165 

5,038 

14.9 

1924 

5,167 

618 

241 

5,544 

16.1 

1925 

4,519 

1,514 

155 

5,878 

16.8 

1926 

5,208 

1,079 

270 

6,017 

17.0 

1927 

5,108 

734 

340 

5,502 

15.3 

Sources  of  data: 

Column  1.   From  table  13,  column  4. 

Column  2.  Data  for  periods  November  1907  to  September  1913,  and  October  1921  to  October  1927 
compiled  from  U.  S.  Dept.  Commerce,  Monthly  Summary  of  Foreign  Commerce  of  the  United  States 
monthly  issues.  Data  are  given  in  pounds  and  were  converted  to  boxes  on  the  basis  of  75  pounds  per 
box.  Data  for  the  period  October  1913,  to  September  1921,  from  U.  S.  Dept.  Commerce,  Bureau  of  Foreign 
and  Domestic  Commerce,  by  correspondence.  During  this  period  most  of  the  import  data  are  given  in 
packages  dutiable  at  18  cents,  35  cents,  and  70  cents.  Those  dutiable  at  18  cents  were  considered  to  be 
equal  to  one-half  of  a  box  weighing  72  pounds  net;  those  dutiable  at  35  cents,  equal  to  one  box;  and  those 
dutiable  at  70  cents,  equal  to  two  boxes.  The  total  boxes  were  then  converted  to  standard  California  boxes 
which  weigh  75  pounds  net. 

Data  for  years  1913  to  1921  are  for  period  ending  September  30. 

Column  3.  U.  S.  Dept.  Commerce,  Monthly  Summary  of  Foreign  Commerce  of  the  United  States 
monthly  issues.   Exports  were  not  reported  separately  prior  to  July  1,  1912. 

Column  4.   Domestic  shipments  plus  imports  minus  exports. 

Column  5.  Supplies  available  for  consumption  converted  to  number  of  lemons  on  the  basis  of  330 
lemons  per  box  and  divided  by  the  mid-year  estimates  of  population  of  the  United  States  taken  from 
Statistical  Abstract  of  the  United  States. 


Bul.  460] 


LEMONS 


37 


TABLE  15 

Annual  Average  F.O.B.  Price  and  Estimated  Farm  Price  on  the  Tree  of 
California  Lemons,  1910-1927 


F.O.B. 
price 

Estimated  farm  price 
on  the  tree 

All- 
commodity 
wholesale 

Crop 
year* 

Dollars  per 
packed  box 

Dollars  per 
packed  box 

Per  cent  of 
1910-14  avg. 

price 
index 

1 

2 

3 

4 

1909-10 

3  41 

2  41 

96 

104 

1910-11 

3  01 

2  02 

81 

95 

1911-12 

2.86 

1  86 

74 

99 

1912-13 

4.99 

3.78 

151 

102 

1913-14 

3.62 

2  47 

98 

100 

1914-15 

1.60 

.58 

23 

101 

1915-16 

3.11 

2.09 

83 

117 

1916-17 

3.06 

1  92 

77 

165 

1917-18 

5.12 

3.75 

150 

192 

1918-19 

3.64 

2.07 

83 

206 

1919-20 

2.75 

.97 

39 

236 

1920-21 

4.00 

2  12 

85 

158 

1921-22 

4.05 

2.23 

89 

149 

1922-23 

4.83 

3.12 

124 

158 

1923-24 

2.59 

.79 

31 

152 

1924-25 

4  55 

2.63 

105 

161 

1925-26 

3.27 

1.38 

55 

155 

1926-27 

3.97 

1.71 

68 

149 

•  Years  1909-10  to  1918-19,  September  to  August.   Years  1919-20  to  1926-27,  November  to  October. 
Sources  of  data: 

Column  1.  California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange. 

Column  2.  Derived  from  data  in  column  1  as  follows:  Expenses  of  selling,  packing,  hauling,  and 
picking  were  subtracted  from  the  f  .o.b.  prices  to  obtain  the  price  on  the  tree  of  the  packed  boxes  shipped. 
These  prices  were  then  multiplied  by  the  total  boxes  shipped  (table  13,  column  4)  and  the  result  divided 
by  the  total  boxes  produced  (table  13,  column  5). 

Column  4.  U.  S.  Bur.  of  Labor  Statistics  index  numbers  of  wholesale  prices  of  all  commodities  con- 
verted to  1910-14  base  published  in  The  Agricultural  Situation. 


TABLE  16 

Average  Monthly  Prices*  per  Box  Eeceived  for  Lemons,  F.O.B.  California, 

by  the  California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange,  November,  1922, 

to  October,  1927 


Month 


November 
December. 

January 

February .... 

March 

April 

May 

June 

July 

August 

September 
October 


1922-23 

1923-24 

1924-25 

1925-26 

dollars 

dollars 

dollars 

dollars 

5.42 

2.38 

4  45 

3.14 

4.63 

2  10 

3.42 

3.08 

4  03 

2.02 

3.78 

2  87 

4.40 

2.23 

3  83 

3  40 

3.43 

2  36 

3.45 

3.71 

3.99 

2.73 

4.26 

3.38 

4.96 

2  22 

5.60 

3.81 

6  40 

2.49 

4  94 

2  97 

5.92 

2.47 

3  80 

3  62 

6  11 

3  17 

4  81 

2  64 

4.28 

3  08 

6  67 

2  83 

2  61 

4.71 

4  25 

2.68 

1926-27 


dollars 
2.68 

90  . 

60 
.56 
.83 

75 

40 

13 
.74 

38 
.49 

35 


*  Prices  are  weighted  average  prices  for  lemons  shipped  during  the  month  shown. 
Source  of  data:  California  Fruit  Growers  Exchange. 


STATION  PUBLICATIONS  AVAILABLE  FOB  FBEE   DISTKIBUTION 


No. 

253.  Irrigation  and  Soil  Conditions  in  the 
Sierra    Nevada   Foothills,    California. 

262.  Citrus   Diseases  of   Florida  and   Cuba 

Compared   with   those  of   California. 

263.  Size  Grades  for  Ripe  Olives. 

268.   Growing  and  Grafting  Olive  Seedlings. 

277.  Sudan  Grass. 

278.  Grain   Sorghums. 

279.  Irrigation   of   Rice  in   California. 
283.  The  Olive  Insects  of  California. 
304.   A  Study  of  the  Effects  of  Freezes  on 

Citrus  in  California. 

310.  Plum  Pollination. 

313.  Pruning  Young  Deciduous  Fruit 
Trees. 

324.  Storage  of  Perishable  Fruits  at  Freez- 
ing Temperatures. 

328.   Prune   Growing  in   California. 

331.  Phylloxera-resistant  Stocks. 

335.  Cocoanut  Meal  as  a  Feed  for  Dairy 
Cows   and   Other  Livestock. 

340.  Control  of  the  Pocket  Gopher  in 
California. 

343.  Cheese   Pests  and  Their  Control. 

344.  Cold    Storage   as   an   Aid  to   the   Mar- 

keting of  Plums,  a  Progress  Report. 

347.  The  Control  of  Red  Spiders  in  Decid- 

uous Orchards. 

348.  Pruning  Young  Olive  Trees. 

349.  A     Study    of    Sidedraft    and    Tractor 

Hitches. 

350.  Agriculture      in      Cut-Over      Redwood 

Lands. 

353.  Bovine    Infectious    Abortion,    and    As- 

sociated Diseases  of  Cattle  and  New- 
born Calves. 

354.  Results  of  Rice  Experiments  in  1922. 

357.  A    Self -Mixing    Dusting    Machine    for 

Applying  Dry  Insecticides  and  Fun- 
gicides. 

358.  Black    Measles,    Water    Berries,    and 

Related  Vine  Troubles. 

361.  Preliminary  Yield  Tables  for  Second- 

Growth  Redwood. 

362.  Dust  and  the  Tractor  Engine. 

363.  The  Pruning  of  Citrus  Trees  in  Cali- 

fornia. 

364.  Fungicidal    Dusts    for    the    Control    of 

Bunt. 

366.  Turkish     Tobacco     Culture,     Curing, 

and  Marketing. 

367.  Methods  of  Harvesting  and  Irrigation 

in  Relation  to  Moldy  Walnuts. 

368.  Bacterial      Decomposition     of      Olives 

During  Pickling. 

369.  Comparison     of     Woods     for     Butter 

Boxes. 

370.  Factors    Influencing   the    Development 

of  Internal  Browning  of  the  Yellow 
Newton   Apple. 

371.  The    Relative    Cost   of   Yarding    Small 

and  Large  Timber. 

373.  Pear   Pollination. 

374.  A    Survey    of    Orchard    Practices    in 

the  Citrus  Industry  of  Southern 
California. 

375.  Results   of    Rice   Experiments   at   Cor- 

tena,  1923,  and  Progress  in  Experi- 
ments in  Water  Grass  Control  at  the 
Biggs   Rice  Field    Station,    1922-23. 

377.  The  Cold  Storage  of  Pears. 

380.  Growth  of  Eucalyptus  in  California 
Plantations. 

382.  Pumping  for  Draininge  in  the  San 
Joaquin   Valley,    California. 

385.  Pollination  of  the  Sweet  Cherry. 

386.  Pruning     Bearing     Deciduous     Fruit 

Trees. 

387.  Fig    Smut.  , 

388.  The   Principles   and   Practice   of    Sun- 

Drying  Fruit. 


BULLETINS 
No. 


389. 
390. 

391. 

392. 
393. 
394. 


395. 

396. 

397. 

398. 
400. 
402. 
404. 
405. 
406. 
407. 


408. 
409. 


410. 


411. 
412. 


414. 


415. 
416. 


417. 
418. 


419. 
420. 


421. 
422. 


423. 
424. 


425. 
426. 


427. 
428. 


429. 
430. 
431. 

432. 

433. 

434. 

435. 


Berseem  or  Egyptian  Clover. 

Harvesting  and  Packing  Grapes  in 
California. 

Machines  for  Coating  Seed  Wheat 
with   Copper   Carbonate   Dust. 

Fruit  Juice  Concentrates. 

Crop  Sequences  at  Davis. 

I.  Cereal  Hay  Production  in  Cali- 
fornia. II.  Feeding  Trials  with 
Cereal  Hays. 

Bark  Diseases  of  Citrus  Trees  in  Cali- 
fornia. 

The  Mat  Bean,  Phaseolus  Aconitifo- 
lius. 

Manufacture  of  Roquefort  Type  Cheese 
from  Goat's  Milk. 

Orchard   Heating  in   California. 

The  Utilization  of  Surplus  Plums. 

The  Codling  Moth  in  Walnuts. 

The  Dehydration  of  Prunes. 

Citrus   Culture   in    Central    California. 

Stationary  Spray  Plants  in  California. 

Yield,  Stand,  and  Volume  Tables  for 
White  Fir  in  the  California  Pine 
Region. 

Alternaria  Rot  of  Lemons. 

The  Digestibility  of  Certain  Fruit  By- 
products as  Determined  for  Rumi- 
nants. Part  I.  Dried  Orange  Pulp 
and  Raisin  Pulp. 

Factors  Influencing  the  Quality  of 
Fresh  Asparagus  after  it  is  Har- 
vested. 

Paradichlorobenzene  as  a  Soil  Fumi- 
gant. 

A  Study  of  the  Relative  Value  of  Cer- 
tain Root  Crops  and  Salmon  Oil  as 
Sources   of   Vitamin    A  for   Poultry. 

Planting  and  Thinning  Distances  for 
Deciduous  Fruit  Trees. 

The  Tractor  on   California  Farms. 

Culture  of  the  Oriental  Persimmon  in 
California. 

Poultry  Feeding:  Principles  and  Prac- 
tice. 

A  Study  of  Various  Rations  for  Fin- 
ishing Range  Calves    as  Baby  Beeves. 

Economic  Aspects  of  the  Cantaloupe 
Industry. 

Rice  and  Rice  By-Products  as  Feeds 
for  Fattening  Swine. 

Beef   Cattle  Feeding  Trials,    1921-24. 

Cost  of  Producing  Almonds  in  Cali- 
fornia :  a  Progress  Report. 

Apricots  (Series  on  California  Crops 
and  Prices). 

The  Relation  of  Rate  of  Maturity  to 
Egg  Production. 

Apple  Growing  in  California. 

Apple  Pollination  Studies  in  Cali- 
fornia. 

The  Value  of  Orange  Pulp  for  Milk 
Production. 

The  Relation  of  Maturity  of  Cali- 
fornia Plums  to  Shipping  and 
Dessert  Quality. 

Economic  Status  of  the  Grape  Industry. 

Range  Grasses  of  California. 

Raisin  By-Products  and  Bean  Screen- 
ings as  Feeds  for  Fattening  Lambs. 

Some  Economic  Problems  Involved  in 
the  Pooling  of  Fruit. 

Power  Requirements  of  Electrically 
Driven    Manufacturing    Equipment. 

Investigations  on  the  Use  of  Fruits  in 
Ice  Cream  and  Ices. 

The  Problem  of  Securing  Closer 
Relationship  Between  Agricultural 
Development  and  Irrigation  Con- 
struction. 


No. 
436. 

437. 

438. 

439. 


440. 


441. 
442. 
443. 

444. 


No. 

87. 
117. 

127. 
129. 
136. 

144. 

157. 
164. 
166. 
178. 
202. 

203. 
209. 
212. 
215. 
230. 

231. 
232. 

234. 

238. 
239. 

240. 

241. 

243. 

244. 
245. 

248. 

249. 
250. 

252. 
253. 
255. 

257. 

258. 
259. 
261. 


BULLETINS- 


I.  The  Kadota  Fig.  II.  Kadota  Fig 
Products. 

Economic  Aspects  of  the  Dairy  In- 
dustry. 

Grafting  Affinities  with  Special  Refer- 
ence to  Plums. 

The  Digestibility  of  Certain  Fruit  By- 
products as  Determined  for  Rumi- 
nants. Part  II.  Dried  Pineapple 
Pulp,  Dried  Lemon  Pulp,  and  Dried 
Olive  Pulp. 

The  Feeding  Value  of  Raisins  and 
Dairy  By-Products  for  Growing  and 
Fattening  Swine. 

The  Electric  Brooder. 

Laboratory  Tests  of  Orchard  Heaters. 

Standardization  and  Improvement  of 
California   Butter. 

Series  on  California  Crops  and  Prices: 
Beans. 


(Continued) 
No. 


Aspects    of    the    Apple    Id- 


446. 
447. 


448. 
449. 


450. 


452. 


Alfalfa. 

The    selection    and    Cost    of    a    Small 

Pumping  Plant. 
House  Fumigation. 
The  control  of  Citrus  Insects. 
Melilotus    Indica    as    a    Green-Manure 

Crop  for  California. 
Oidium    or    Powdery    Mildew    of    the 

Vine. 
Control  of  Pear   Scab. 
Small   Fruit   Culture   in    California. 
The  County  Farm  Bureau. 
The  Packing  of  Apples  in  California. 
County    Organization    for    Rural    Fire 

Control. 
Peat   as   a   Manure   Substitute. 
The  Function  of  the  Farm  Bureau. 
Salvaging  Rain-Damaged  Prunes. 
Feeding  Dairy  Cows  in   California. 
Testing  Milk,    Cream,    and   Skim  Milk 

for  Butterfat. 
The  Home  Vineyard. 
Harvesting    and    Handling    California 

Cherries   for   Eastern    Shipment. 
Winter     Injury     to     Young     Walnut 

Trees  During  1921-1922. 
The  Apricot  in  California. 
Harvesting     and     Handling     Apricots 

and  Plums  for  Eastern  Shipment. 
Harvesting    and    Handling    California 

Pears  for  Eastern  Shipment. 
Harvesting    and    Handling    California 

Peaches  for  Eastern   Shipment. 
Marmalade     Juice     and     Jelly     Juice 

from  Citrus  Fruits. 
Central  Wire  Bracing  for  Fruit  Trees. 
Vine  Pruning   Systems. 
Some  Common   Errors  in  Vine  Prun- 
ing and  Their  Remedies. 
Replacing  Missing  Vines. 
Measurement   of   Irrigation   Water   on 

the  Farm. 
Support  for  Vines. 
Vineyard  Plans. 

Leguminous    Plants    as    Organic    Fer- 
tilizers in   California   Agriculture. 
The   Small-Seeded  Horse  Bean    (Vicia 

faba   var.   minor). 
Thinning   Deciduous  Fruits. 
Pear  By-Products. 
Sewing  Grain  Sacks. 


CIRCULARS 
No. 

265. 
266. 


267. 

269. 
270. 
273. 
276. 
277. 

278. 

279. 

281. 


282. 

284. 
286. 
287. 
288. 
289. 
290. 
292. 
293. 
294. 
296. 

298. 

300. 
301. 
302. 
304. 
305. 
307. 
308. 
309. 
310. 

311. 

312. 


Economic 
duBtry. 

The  Asparagus  Industry  in  California. 

The  Method  of  Determining  the  Clean 
Weights  of  Individual  Fleeces  of 
Wool. 

Farmers'  Purchase  Agreement  for 
Deep   Well   Pumps. 

Economic  Aspects  of  the  Watermelon 
Industry. 

Irrigation  Investigations  with  Field 
Crops  at  Davis,  and  at  Delhi,  Cali- 
fornia. 

Studies  Preliminary  to  the  Establish- 
ment of  a  Series  of  Fertilizer  Trials 
in  a  Bearing  Citrus  Grove. 

Economic  Aspects  of  the  Pear  In- 
dustry. 


Plant  Disease  and  Pest  Control. 

Analyzing  the  Citrus  Orchard  by 
Means  of  Simple  Tree  Records. 

The  Tendency  of  Tractors  to  Rise  in 
Front;  Causes  and  Remedies. 

An   Orchard   Brush   Burner. 

A  Farm  Septic  Tank. 

Saving  the  Gophered  Citrus  Tree. 

Home   Canning. 

Head,  Cane  and  Cordon  Pruning  of 
Vines. 

Olive  Pickling  in  Mediterranean 
Countries. 

The  Preparation  and  Refining  of 
Olive  Oil  in  Southern  Europe. 

The  Results  of  a  Survey  to  Deter- 
mine the  Cost  of  Producing  Beef  in 
California. 

Prevention  of  Insect  Attack  on  Stored 
Grain. 

The  Almond   in   California. 

Milk  Houses  for  California  Dairies. 

Potato   Production  in   California. 

Phylloxera  Resistant  Vineyards. 

Oak  Fungus  in   Orchard  Trees. 

The  Tangier  Pea. 

Alkali   Soils. 

The    Basis    of    Grape    Standardization. 

Propagation   of   Deciduous  Fruits. 

Control  of  the  California  Ground 
Squirrel. 

Possibilities  and  Limitations  of  Coop- 
erative Marketing. 

Coccidiosis  of  Chickens. 

Buckeye  Poisoning  of  the  Honey  Bee. 

The   Sugar  Beet  in  California. 

Drainage  on  the  Farm. 

Liming  the   Soil. 

American   Foulbrood   and  Its   Control 

Cantaloupe    Production   in    California. 

Fruit  Tree  and   Orchard  Judging. 

The  Operation  of  the  Bacteriological 
Laboratory  for  Dairy  Plants. 

The  Improvement  of   Quality  in  Figs. 

Principles  Governing  the  Choice,  Op- 
eration and  Care  of  Small  Irrigation 
Pumping  Plants. 


The  publications  listed  above  may  be  had  by  addressing 

College  of  Agriculture, 

University  of  California, 

Berkeley,  California. 

14m-10,'28 


